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On Tuesday, participating in a discussion on COVID-19 vaccination initiated by Seimas remotely, a representative from SAM shared an illustration of how the vaccines received and distributed to municipalities (marked in yellow) are used for the vaccination of the population (marked in blue).
You can enlarge the illustration by clicking on it:
SAM / Proportion of vaccines received and used
L. Galkus noted that full consumption was achieved only a few times.
“We see that full consumption has been achieved on several occasions, but there is still room for improvement. We work in the municipalities, we explain the reasons why vaccines are not used as quickly as we want, ”he said.
Municipal vaccination rates, according to a ministry specialist, are good, although more efforts will be needed in the future, he said.
“Consumption is good so far. Now I have more vaccines and I will have to work more. But we hope that at the beginning of each week we will be equal to how much Lithuania [vakcinų] received and consumed “, – taught L. Galkus.
According to the Statistics Department data released on Tuesday, Lithuania has so far received 267,885 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, distributed 254,185 doses, and used 194,169 doses.
S.Krėpšta: we do not vaccinate badly
Simonas Krėpšta, the president’s senior adviser, also participated in the remote discussion on Tuesday. According to him, Lithuania could become more active on weekends and use the vaccines received faster.
“In the president’s opinion, the fluctuation should decrease and we must fight for the least fluctuation, the absorption of vaccines as soon as possible,” said the adviser to the country’s chief, Gitanas Nausėda.
It is true that he evaluated the vaccination rate in Lithuania as good and mentioned Denmark as an example in this area.
“Currently, we are vaccinating not bad, a little better than the average of the European Union, but the Danes, a leading country that receives exactly the same amount of vaccines as us, are one step ahead and vaccinate by 20%. faster, “said S.Krėpšta.
Luke April / 15min photo / Simonas Krėpšta
He has previously expressed fears about it. Vaccines will be stored in warehouses if vaccination rates in Lithuania do not increase in the near future.
Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys assured that vaccines are not stored in warehouses and vaccination rates will increase in municipalities.
Researcher: Anti-vaccination advocates are on the rise
Austė Valinčiūtė, a professor at the Vilnius University Faculty of Communication, who participated in the discussion, drew attention to the importance of reporting on vaccination.
He warned that the perception of the need for vaccination could potentially be affected by the decline in the number of infections and the release of quarantine restrictions, as well as misinformation.
“It is no secret that members of the anti-vaccination movement are actively using this global health crisis as an opportunity to increase their ranks. In Lithuania, the number of followers of anti-vaccine groups on social media is unfortunately growing ”, lamented A.Valčiūtė and gave an example.
Representatives of the anti-vaccination movement are actively taking advantage of this global health crisis.
According to her, the Facebook group “Vaccine Damage” has gained 1,000 new followers since December.
“A large part of the Lithuanian population has conspiracy or false beliefs about vaccines and there is a high awareness of the risk in this regard,” added the researcher.
Challenges when communication is delayed
The side effects of vaccines, according to their assessment, are not adequately communicated by the media, for example, when they highlight individual cases from the context of larger statistics.
“Ambiguous and uncoordinated communication between authorities, representatives and even recognized experts about the importance, efficacy and safety of the vaccine can also cause concern about the vaccine,” said A. Valčičiūtė.
He emphasized that a public information campaign on COVID-19 vaccines should be carried out when the opinion or belief of the population on this issue is only in the formative stage.
“If communication is delayed, the communication campaign will have a great challenge, not to train, but to change people’s beliefs and opinions,” said A. Valčičiūtė.
This, he said, is often a complex process.
When there is no coordinated and multi-audience information, the need, according to the researcher, is met by other sources, such as social networks or friends.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Vakcina nuo COVID-19
“In the absence of information from reliable sources on the safety and efficacy of vaccines, the information space will be filled by disseminators of disinformation, <...> whose main objective is to raise concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, ”said A. Valinčiūtė.
A. Dustys: primary sources must be followed
As part of the information campaign on COVID-19 vaccines, he called for the use of influential people in the communities, such as mayors, elders, representatives of religious communities, celebrities and the transmission of personalized messages.
Health Minister A. Dulkys stated that active communication about vaccines in Lithuania started in late December, when the first shipments of vaccines arrived in Lithuania.
Much information about vaccination, he said, is on the website. Koronastop.lrv.lt.
Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Arūnas Dulkys
“Now I have to develop the habit that if it is not clear to me, I have to follow the primary sources, not the media headlines, social media or other unclear pages,” said A. Dulkys.
To reach an audience that is undecided or in doubt about vaccination, the ministry, according to the minister, will carry out a targeted communication campaign taking into account the stages of vaccination.
When it will start, A. Dulkys did not specify.
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