Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines among Egyptians

What Is Vaccine Confidence?

Vaccine confidence is the trust that patients, their families, and providers have in:

• Recommended vaccines
• Providers who administer vaccines
• Processes and policies that lead to vaccine development, licensure or authorization, manufacturing, and recommendations for use

Many factors influence vaccine decision-making, including cultural, social, and political factors; inpidual and group factors; and vaccine-specific factors. However, confidence in the vaccines, the vaccinator, and the system all support the decision to get vaccinated.

Why Is It Important?

Many people I meet in Egypt are planning to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but again many are reluctant, skeptical or may want more information before seeking vaccination. They may want to know more about COVID-19 vaccines, including the process for developing and authorizing these vaccines and information about their safety and effectiveness. People may also have previous experiences that affect their trust and confidence in the health system, which could affect their decision to get vaccinated.

By taking time to listen to their concerns and answer their questions, you can help people become confident in their decision to get vaccinated. Also, when you decide to get vaccinated and share the reasons why you did, you can have a powerful influence on your family and community. Strong confidence in the vaccines within communities leads to more people getting vaccinated, which lead to fewer COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths when we are approaching an October surge of a fourth wave of the coronavirus in Egypt that began with the detection of “Delta Plus” mutant cases producing alarms that the numbers could be higher compared to the previous waves.

Six Ways to Help Build COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence

Encourage leaders in your family, community, or organizations to be vaccine champions.

Have discussions with friends and family about vaccination to understand their perspective and encourage their decision to vaccinate.

Share key messages and promote action through multiple trusted channels.

Help educate people about COVID-19 vaccines, including how they were developed and their intense safety monitoring, and how you can talk to others about the vaccines.

Learn more about finding credible vaccine information. When you come across COVID-19 information, cross-check with https://egcovac.mohp.gov.eg/ and learn how to respond to misinformation you encounter.

Make your decision to get vaccinated visible and celebrate it!