Message from the Publisher 032 – More needed to be done when the vaccination program is in disarray

More needed to be done when the vaccination program is in disarray

The announcement of stopping the use of AstraZeneca for under 50 years old by the Prime Minister this week was the final blow to the confidence of Australians in the federal government.

Started by the confusions in logistics, the slow taking up of the vaccine, and the argument between state and federal governments over the responsibility of the delay, failure to supply vaccines from overseas and local production according to schedule, then now comes the final blow of risk of blood clotting for AstraZeneca, which is the backbone of the Australian vaccination program. It is very clear that Australians will not be fully vaccinated in 2021. Furthermore, the federal government is unable to assure the public what will happen except that a further 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine will be committed to Australia in the last quarter of 2021.

The trust to the governments by Australians in 2020 towards measures to prevent the spread of the virus and preserving the economy is now replaced by the lack of confidence towards our leaders in such confusion. CALD communities are further confused by the various messages received in their languages from overseas through the internet and mobile social media networks. Italian elderly migrants who had constantly listened to news from Italy were wondering why AstraZeneca was stopped in Italy but still used in Australia without knowing that Italy has resumed the usage. Covid misinformation in Chinese is reported to affect the relationship between members of first and second-generation migrants as they are receiving information originating from two different countries.

It is time the state and federal governments need to admit that more and clearer Covid-19 information must be specially targeted to CALD communities through the trusted local ethnic media. Promotion and education campaigns with the support and participation of CALD community leaders are needed so that vaccination program call be rolled out without hesitancy.

With so much confusion, misinformation, and negative news in the vaccination program, just advertising is not enough. The governments need to do much more.

Raymond Chow

Publisher, BlessingCALD