A communication campaign that aims to encourage people to get vaccinated against COVID-19 must be built on trust, and should include information about how the vaccines work, as well as evidence relating to their safety and effectiveness, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has said.

It has published advice to inform and assist the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) about factors that influence vaccination uptake.

The Government published its COVID-19 vaccination strategy on Tuesday and this stated that "clear and transparent communication on all aspects of COVID-19 vaccines...will be a critical element to the success of Ireland's vaccination programme".

Research released by the Department of Health earlier this week revealed that less than half of people (45%) will definitely get the vaccine when it is offered to them, while 28% probably will. This suggests a certain degree of vaccine hesitancy among the general public.

HIQA's advice aims to support NPHET in this area. As part of this, it examined the potential barriers to vaccination uptake, and the potential facilitators. It also looked at interventions that can be undertaken to improve vaccination uptake.

HIQA has advised NPHET that a vaccine communication campaign should include the following, in order to help the public make informed decisions:
-Information on how the specific vaccines work
-Evidence on their safety and effectiveness
-Clarity on the processes regulatory agencies, such as the European Medicines Agency, follow when approving vaccines
-Information on the requirements for post-marketing continuous evaluation.

"Reviewing the evidence on the effectiveness of a vaccine doesn't stop when a vaccine campaign begins. As the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out in Ireland and across the world, updated evidence in relation to effectiveness and safety must be made available in an open and accountable manner, so trust can be maintained," commented HIQA's deputy CEO, Dr Máirín Ryan.

She emphasised that COVID-19 vaccination has the potential to significantly reduce the burden of this disease worldwide when used in conjunction with public health measures, such as social distancing, regular hand washing and the wearing of face masks in appropriate settings.

"Ireland has already shown how widespread adoption of public health measures can limit the spread of coronavirus. This success was largely based on knowledge and consensus. Trust, communication and knowledge are core to informed decision making and should be central to any vaccination campaign," Dr Ryan insisted.

She noted that healthcare workers are an important at-risk population group, but they are also a trusted source of information on health matters. As a result, "it is vital that healthcare workers and leaders in local communities are provided with evidence-based information ahead of any vaccination programme".

HIQA's review of evidence relating to factors that influence vaccine uptake found a number of common themes, such as knowledge, social influences, perceived responsibility, and perceived risks and benefits.

The perceived benefit from getting vaccinated, along with recommendations from healthcare professionals, were consistently found to be key facilitators for vaccination uptake.

HIQA added that the successes Ireland has already achieved in relation to COVID-19 "have been largely based upon consensus rather than penalties and enforcement. Therefore, there is a need to build on these successes while informing COVID-19 vaccination policy".

To view HIQA's advice to NPHET on this issue, click here. The Government's COVID-19 vaccination strategy can be viewed here.