After each COVID-19 media briefing, NSW Premier Gladys Berjeklian and Dr Kerry Chant, Chief Health Officer or Mr Brad Hazzard give out the same message - get vaccinated. It is no doubt the way out to get out of the bouncing around and on certain days the spiralling up number of cases of COVID-19, is to get the people vaccinated.

However, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms contain arguments and counter-arguments by the pro-vaxxers and the anti-vaxxers. The discussions at times get fierce and result in cracked relationships, if not their complete termination. 

With recent advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) strongly encouraging all Australians to get vaccinated and experts warning us of blaming migrants for spreading misinformation about COVID 19 misinformation, it is important to understand how best to approach difficult conversations about COVID-19 vaccinations with our families and friends both here in Australia and back in the Philippines.

Fil-Aus health communication expert Dr. Michael Camit (PhD) recently appeared on a Guardian Podcast and the TV show, The Project about his research on misinformation, vaccine hesitancy as well as his personal experience as a Filipino-Australian. 

In his interview in The Project, he has shared some photos showing his involvement in awareness initiatives, which included being interviewed in Fil-Aus community radio show, Radio Tagumpay*.  This was widely shared and commented on social media.  Michael is popular to the listeners of Radio Tagumpay as he has been a guest in past years where he talked about a range of health issues like organ donation. 

The Fil-Aus community also celebrated when he was recently selected to be one of 12 participants in the Community Voices Programme  of the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas .

The Australian Filipina spoke with Michael regarding the points discussed at The Project show.

Michael's overall advice on the subject of having difficult conversations about COVID-19 vaccination with family and friends is : more listening and less “Facebook Unfriending”.  We are glad to share his responses to a few FAQ's regarding COVID 19 vaccination.

How significant is the role of the vaccination in controlling and eventually eliminating COVID 1?

Having most of the Australian population vaccinated with our target as 70-80% protects individuals and families passing on COVID-19. Vaccinations strengthen your immune system and reduces your risk significantly of being hospitalised with severe consequences. 

While having zero cases is a very ambitious target, it is really important to look at the experience we are seeing in the UK and USA. Achieving 80% of the population being vaccinated resulted in hospitals seeing significantly fewer severe cases of COVID19 related complications and patients in ICU.  Vaccinations benefit you, your family and helps our hospitals and health system to flatten the curve

What are the approved brands; your views on Pfizer vs AZ?

The two current COVID 19 vaccine brands in Australia are Pfizer and AstraZeneca. There are also plans underway for Moderna.  Most people tend to be obsessed with comparing the effectiveness and efficacy of various vaccines. It is human nature that we interpret these terms to reflect the “quality” of the vaccinations we are taking.  It is a similar decision process when we consider taking medicines or any type of preventative measure. Think of sunblock that provides 60% vs 90%.  However, effectiveness and efficacy are two different things and there are articles that explain the difference between the terms.

What is important to consider now is the Delta variant – how different and how much, much more contagious this is to the previous variant. I know of cases where two friends, both wearing masks have been walking at a park, socially distanced, and had a coffee. They took their masks off for the time they had coffee. One tested positive and the other also contracted COVID-19. The infection is attributed to that one incident.

Why is this significant to the discussion of Pfizer vs AsrtraZeneca?  This matters because of what we discussed earlier: that vaccination significantly reduces your risk of having severe complications and being hospitalised - if you test positive to COVID-19.  Most of the patients who have severe complications have NOT been vaccinated.

So, the best vaccine is the one that is offered to you or one you can get your hands on.

What is the best way to explain to anti-vaxxers the importance of having the vaccination?

While there are individuals who will claim the identity of “anti-vaxxer” and are in one extreme of a continuum, research suggests that most people are in the middle of that continuum. As such, it is more useful to refer to them as the UNDECIDED – siting on the fence waiting to see what happens to others.

It sounds counterintuitive but the first step to have a conversation with your vaccine hesitant friend or family member is to LISTEN. Genuinely listen to what their concern is. I find that, most people just need guidance regarding where to find evidence-based information to address their concerns and just need to be heard.

Repeating facts also do not help and “unfriending” your vaccine-hesitant friends will also not help our understanding of why people don’t get vaccinated.

Two phrases that help start the conversation are

  1. I noticed that … ( you have not had your vaccination) or ask Have you thought about getting a vaccine?
  2. What would convince you….. ( to have a vaccine)

Asking those questions opens up the conversation and allows your friend or family member to talk. Try to avoid jumping in and offering instant solutions or worst - telling them they are stupid or ignorant for believing misinformation or “fake news” on COVID-19.

Another way is to ask them where or how they arrived at a particular view. I had a friend who had a baby. Initially she told me that she will never have the COVID 19 vaccine because she believed that the vaccines were rushed and we are not sure of the side effects. When asked what her other concerns were, she said, “Eh kung mapano pa ang baby ko at ako” (And what if something happens to my baby – and myself!)

I replied that as parents we all want the best for our children and ourselves. I asked her where she heard or found that concern. She showed me some anonymous posts – forwarded through WhatsApp by family in the US.  I showed her trusted websites from different countries with explanations to address this concern and also showed her how important it is to verify the authors of these messages, including their motivations for writing these vaccine messages. In the end, she agreed to find out more information and consider vaccination.

Can you share an experience where the person eventually got convinced to be vaccinated?   

There are many examples of conversations with vaccine-hesitant people through my work and research; but of course, there is no better example than that of my own family.  It took us three months to book my mum to have her vaccine. My youngest brother had a scheme as part of his work where he pays $100 for the first dose for one of his relatives. We nominated my mum.

On the day of the vaccination, Mum pulled out. My brother rang me as he just lost his $100! I rang my mum and we had a huge argument. Actually, it was so bad that I literally slammed the phone on her as I was so exasperated. I heard myself say, “Ma, alam niyo ba ang trabaho ko dito! Napaka ironic naman na sarili kong nanay di ko ma convince! (Ma, do you know what I do here for a living? It's so ironic that I cannot convince my own mum!) 

Despite all my understanding of health communication, behaviour change and misinformation I felt like I failed.

Now, I need to remind you that my mum is not exactly short of facts or education. She has a PhD in Journalism and Public Relations. She watches CNN, ABC and a lot of credible news sources. She reads the newspapers. In the heat of our argument, she said “ Sino ka ba? Anak lang kita!”  (Who are you,, anyway? You are just my son!)

After I recovered from my frustration, I took a deep breath and rang her back.

As it turned out she said her change of mind was triggered by a message she received on Facebook from one of her friends who had a niece in the US. The niece is a nurse. This nurse heard from another friend that Sinovac was a better brand ( to the one mum was getting). You get the picture? The anonymous source, with a message that just arrived at the wrong time – the day before Mum was supposed to get her vaccine.

But the deal breaker for Mum was not really that piece of new information – though that did not help.

After listening and really sitting with my discomfort, I found out that Mum just felt that all of her children were focused on the money – the  $100 .. “Lahat kayo – nanghihinayang sa pera! Wala kayong pakialam kung mamatay ako sa brand na yan!” ( All of you - you are just worried about the money! You don’t really care whether I die from that brand of vaccine!)

Which brings me back to my original point – LISTEN to what is really happening, WHAT is the real, underlying concern of your friend or family ... For my mother it was that she was already feeling isolated and her children seemed to be focused on the money and not listening to her concerns.

What current project/s do you have regarding communication on the vaccination?

I am currently working on ways to improve ways to address vaccine hesitancy, misinformation in English and Filipino. I would love to hear from your readers on the following:

  • What posts/ conversations have you heard that you would classify as misinformation or prevent your family or friends from getting the vaccine?

  • Would you like to be part of a volunteer community group to be trained in addressing misinformation?

 

ABOUT DR MICHAEL CAMIT

Michael Camit is originally from Tondo and Pasay City, Metro Manila. He is currently based at  Liverpool Hospital as Manager of Health Literacy.  For the past four years, prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, as part of his PhD studies, Michael has been researching  the potential of social media to contribute to health outcomes for migrants and refugees.

He has over 23 years working in health communication and has won national and international awards for his health campaigns. He helped establish the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service in 1997.

His current research addresses misinformation about COVID19.

If you are interested in becoming part of a volunteer group to be trained in addressing misinformation please contact him at [email protected] Twitter @mcamitysydney

Outside of health communication and researching misinformation, Michael, like most Pinoys loves singing and was part of the UP Concert Chorus – recently involved in a virtual choir during lockdown. He currently sings with the award winning Sydney Harmony men’s a cappella group and has won singing competitions with his barbershop quartet.. Occasionally he combines this love of singing and promoting public causes like encouraging people to be an organ and tissue donor – Video of Michael Here at the national launch in 2019.

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*Radio Tagumpay airs on Mondays, 2-4pm on Triple H 100.1FM.  It is streamable globally via:  https://www.triplehfm.com.au/

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