Solomon Islanders confident with government’s COVID-19 response but more need to be vaccinated
A recent study conducted by the National Democratic Institution (NDI) says 87% of those interviewed think the government is doing an excellent job.
The research methodology included 1,200 phone interviews and six face-to-face focus group discussions in Honiara, Malaita and the Western Province.
The same cannot be said for vaccine hesitancy, with those interviewed split on whether they will take the vaccine. Some say they do not know enough to make an informed decision, or don’t feel it is necessary to get vaccinated as the country is still COVID-19 free.
Widespread rumours and conspiracy theories on social media surrounding the vaccine have contributed to the high level of vaccine hesitancy, the report says.
Such conspiracy theories are also not coming in just from the “outside,” the local rumor mill is also hard at work, and is often centered on a person in authority, or someone working in the medical system – that supposedly leaked information through social media or passed it on through word-of-mouth.
The report says that the government’s target of 80% vaccination coverage by November 2021 will be a challenge, and says awareness is key to ensure that a clear message is going out to the public to dispel such rumours.
The report says religious leaders – some of the most trusted individuals in the country – need to dismiss rumours and endorse pro-vaccination messages, including by personal example.
Source. Solomon Times Online.
Comment.
The Anglican Archbishop of Melanesia set a personal example by getting a vaccination and I would hope the church in the Solomon Island would take a more active role in encouraging the community to get vaccinated in the interest of their own health safety and the wider community.
The deadly Delta variant of Covid 19 is more easily transferable than was ever imagined and is affecting more people across the world than predicted. The Delta variant is present in increasing numbers in NSW, in Victoria, in parts of Queensland, in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and in Fiji, where six people are dying every day.
The seriousness of the Delta variant has now seen thousands of people in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji stand in line for hours to get vaccinated. In Fiji, to its credit, 90 percent of the community has already received their first vaccination.
When the first case of the Delta variant was detected in New Zealand just a few days ago, the NZ government locked down the whole country realising the danger posed to the wider community from the entry of the variant which had been brought to New Zealand from a traveller previously in NSW.
Stop for a moment and reflect on the very stringent health precautions the health authorities took in New Zealand by locking down the whole of the country on the detection of the one case of Delta variant.
Also pause and think of what could happen if the same Delta variant happened to enter into the Solomon Islands. It does not bear thinking about if the population is not fully vaccinated against the virus.
Rumours, gossip and lies about the safety of ant-Covid vaccinations are wholly untruthful and must be discounted.
The SIG has done excellent work in ensuring vaccines to prevent Covid19 are available, unlike in some countries where vaccines are not yet available or in short supply due to the huge community demand. But reportedly some in the Solomon Islands are still to get even their first vaccination.
We all know what a tsunami can do, the power it has and the capacity for loss of life. When a possible tsunami is threatened people run to the high ground to seek safety. Warnings of a tsunami are listened to and heeded.
I liken the Delta variant like a health tsunami with the great potential to cause loss of life. Warnings about the virus have been given but largely ignored by those who have chosen not to be vaccinated and would prefer to listen to false news and idle gossip.
Please heed the health advice, believe the truth about the safety of vaccinations, take the high ground with a vaccination and be safe while protecting others.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
