Health & Fitness
Influencers Enlisted To Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy
In an effort to achieve herd immunity, the state is spending $40 million to reach people who are reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
LOS ANGELES, CA, — Beating the coronavirus will depend on California reaching herd immunity, and for that to happen, many Golden State residents still need to be convinced to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Toward that end, the state announced a multimillion-dollar publicity campaign to help overcome vaccine hesitancy Wednesday.
It's a tall order in a state with a staunch anti-vaxxer community.
Dubbed "Let's Get to ImmUnity" the campaign seeks to reach all age groups and communities with paid digital advertisements, social media outreach and an "influencer" campaign on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. The campaign will feature doctors, nurses and other health professionals preaching the safety of the vaccines. Social media influencers will also be enlisted to target communities with high levels of vaccine resistance.
Find out what's happening in Los Angelesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"With the launch of this campaign, we are underscoring our commitment to equity and reminding Californians that the best vaccine is the first one available when it's your turn," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. "They're safe. They're lifesaving. And they'll help us collectively defeat this virus."
To reach people reluctant to get vaccinated, the state is spending $40 million. Television and radio ads in English and Spanish will begin airing along with additional outreach measures in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, Russian and Japanese. The state's VaccinateALL58.com website will also be revamped and made available in at least eight languages.
Find out what's happening in Los Angelesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"The quicker we get to immunity, the quicker we will put this pandemic in the rear-view mirror so we can enjoy more everyday activities without the concerns we've experienced in the past year," Tomas Aragon, CDPH director and state public health officer, said. "This campaign reinforces the confidence medical and public health experts have in the three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines that are now available for Californians and helps map our path forward to we can all get back to seeing our family and friends, go to school and work and participate in sports."
City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.