Mediaplanet publishes vaccine awareness campaign to combat vaccine hesitancy during pandemic

By The Caybon Creative Team

Mediaplanet launches December print and digital campaign entitled “Vaccine Awareness.” This campaign will provide readers with a greater awareness and understanding of the process of how vaccines are made, approved, distributed, and administered. It will also serve as a platform to create solutions and initiatives to improve immunization rates in the United States and globally.

Vaccines help to prevent national and global infectious disease outbreaks and save between 2-3 million lives every year. However, many people around the globe and in the United States are not vaccinated and more than 1.5 million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases each year. Intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy was named by the World Health Organization in 2019 as one of the top ten leading threats to global health, citing complacency, inconvenience in access, and a lack of confidence as the driving factors. This campaign will address concerns and answer questions about vaccination, educating people about the importance of immunization especially during a pandemic.

The print component of “Vaccines Awareness” is distributed within today’s edition of USA Today in Atlanta, Boston, the Carolinas, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., and surrounding areas with a circulation of approximately 200,000 copies and an estimated readership of 600,000. The digital component is distributed nationally, through a vast social media strategy, and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, visit: Vaccine Awareness.

Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, wrote an op-ed for the campaign, hoping to raise confidence in COVID-19 vaccines by explaining the process and how it will be available quickly. “Before a vaccine ever makes it to the public, federal science agencies oversee an extensive testing phase to ensure it’s safe and effective. Often, this process can take years; though for COVID-19, global mobilization and many years of existing research have helped speed up the process.”

Pediatrician and American Academy of Pediatrics spokesperson Jennifer Shu also warns about the drop in routine childhood immunizations — and well visits overall — since the start of the pandemic, which could make way for other deadly viruses to come back, not to mention missing other vital health screenings for children and teens. “Pediatricians have seen a huge drop in patient visits because of the pandemic. Lots of children are missing vaccinations, physical exams, and screenings. Now that influenza and COVID-19 are circulating, it’s important that you stay connected with your pediatrician.”

When it comes time for a COVID-19 vaccine to be given, pharmacists are ready to mobilize on the front lines, according to Scott J. Knoer of the American Pharmacists Association and B. Douglas Hoey of the National Community Pharmacists Association. “Most pharmacists can help you remain current on routine vaccines safely and conveniently. Whether you visit your neighborhood pharmacy or a different provider, the point is to get immunized,” Knoer and Hoey said in a joint op-ed piece for the campaign.

This campaign was made possible with the support of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, Vaccinate Your Family, the Community Pharmacy Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the American Academy of Pediatrics, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the American Public Health Association, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the Healthcare Distribution Alliance, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, the American Pharmacists Association, the National Community Pharmacists Association, Bavarian Nordic, CHOP Vaccine Education Center, CPESN USA, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the Pharmacists for Healthier Lives Campaign, KidsVax, Onset Computer Corporation, PHCNA, Rotary International, March of Dimes, STChealth, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the American Nurses Association, and UNICEF.