Steenberg, B.; Myburgh, N.; Sokani, A.; Ngwenya, N.; Mutevedzi, P.; Madhi, S. COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout: Aspects of Acceptability in South Africa. Vaccines2022, 10, 1379.
Steenberg, B.; Myburgh, N.; Sokani, A.; Ngwenya, N.; Mutevedzi, P.; Madhi, S. COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout: Aspects of Acceptability in South Africa. Vaccines 2022, 10, 1379.
Steenberg, B.; Myburgh, N.; Sokani, A.; Ngwenya, N.; Mutevedzi, P.; Madhi, S. COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout: Aspects of Acceptability in South Africa. Vaccines2022, 10, 1379.
Steenberg, B.; Myburgh, N.; Sokani, A.; Ngwenya, N.; Mutevedzi, P.; Madhi, S. COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout: Aspects of Acceptability in South Africa. Vaccines 2022, 10, 1379.
Abstract
Unprecedented in scale, immense COVID-19 immunization programmes have been rolled out globally. This article explores aspects of hypothetical vaccine acceptability in Soweto, South Africa, shortly before such vaccines became available. Whereas hypothetical acceptance was normative, this has not translated into uptake today, which remains concerningly low in South Africa, especially in Soweto. For that reason, we mobilise anthropological concepts to analyse acceptance, hesitancy, and denial, respectively, to gauge and understand public proclivity to inoculate. We find that COVID-19’s haphazard mediatization generated a ‘field of suspicion’ towards authorities and vaccination, which, amplified by dis- and misinformation, fostered othering, hesitancy, and denial considerably. It remains paramount during vaccination rollouts to unveil and address aspects detrimental to vaccine confidence and selectivity, especially in lower-income groups for underlying, context-specific cultural, spiritual, historical, and socioeconomic reasons. Appropriate mediazation alongside a debunking of counterfactual claims is crucial in driving forward immunization.
Keywords
south africa; COVID-19; vaccine acceptancy; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine denial
Subject
Social Sciences, Sociology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.