Interior Health and the VDICSS created a social media video campaign to increase vaccine confidence for immigrants

Photo: The Canadian Press

The Vernon and District Immigrant and Community Services Society has teamed up with Interior Health to launch a social media video campaign to increase vaccine confidence for immigrants.

The campaign includes a series of videos, in five languages, with an aim to increase vaccine confidence in newcomers to Canada.

The videos include short stories from local immigrants in Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish and English, that answer the question “Who or What Do You Miss?”

This project is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada for the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge.

VDICSS was selected to receive $25,000 from hundreds of project submissions from across the country.

The Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge gives communities resources to spread the word about COVID-19 vaccines and increase vaccine confidence through creative, community-driven and culturally appropriate means.

“Many of our clients have had questions about COVID-19, the vaccine, and the orders set in place by the Provincial Health Officer and Health Canada,” said Philipp Gruner, CEO at VDICSS.

“We have always been here to support our newcomer clients by providing them with accurate, relevant information. For some, there has been a hesitancy towards vaccines due to language barriers, misinformation or legitimate concerns regarding safety and effectiveness of vaccines.”

The videos were shot at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre and feature local immigrants, speaking in their native dialect, telling who or what they have missed the most during the pandemic.

A medical professional follows, speaking in the same language, with evidence-based messaging to build awareness and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine. Viewers are then provided with details on how to register for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We know accessing health care information can be a challenging barrier to navigate for people who prefer speaking their native language,” said Interior Health medical health officer, Dr. Silvina Mema.

“These promotional videos will undoubtedly help increase confidence and understanding in the COVID-19 vaccine.”