Analysis
An Indonesian social media account that previously cast doubt on the safety of polio and COVID-19 vaccines claims that Indonesia’s Ministry of Health is concealing vaccine data to hide government corruption. The user posted several times about a February 4 lawsuit hearing regarding the public disclosure of government contracts, vaccination data, and clinical trial data related to polio and COVID-19 vaccines. The health ministry argues that the requested data is confidential. Commenters on social media claim that vaccination is part of a depopulation plan and accuse the media of covering up the story. One post suggests that the government is “poisoning” its citizens, while another claims that “viruses don’t exist.”
Recommendations
Although the initial posts received relatively little engagement, the responses highlight the pervasiveness of public distrust in public health and vaccination efforts. Prebunking messaging may emphasize the amount of time and research that goes into developing vaccines and monitoring their safety. Continuing to emphasize that the polio vaccine is extremely safe and rigorously tested is recommended, as is highlighting that polio vaccines have been safely given to billions of children and generations of families worldwide. Messaging may also emphasize that the COVID-19 vaccines are grounded in decades of scientific research and that over 70 percent of the world’s population has safely received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.