Government ramps up its campaign against vaccine misinformation

As Australia’s vaccination program ramps up and moves into Phase 1b, the Federal Government says it is also expanding its campaign against misinformation on the Covid-19 vaccines,

Its aim is to give people a single, credible, health website where they can get all their vaccine-related questions answered.

The new material is called Is it true? and can be found on the Government website www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines. Apart from giving information, it will respond to vaccine misinformation that people may have heard.

Aim is to sort out the fact from the fiction

“This new function will provide trusted, credible information on Covid-19 vaccines for everyone in Australia. It will sort the fact from the fiction,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement.

“The information on the website will be clear, accurate and timely. This will help reassure Australians about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and answer commonly asked questions and misinformation relating to the vaccination program.”

Morrison said the vaccines are the next crucial step on the road out of the pandemic for Australians, and is the one step that people can take to protect themselves, their families and the wider community from severe illness.

“It’s essential that people get their information on the vaccines from credible sources – and that should be on official government websites,” he stated.

Normal for people to have questions, says PM

“With new vaccine developments every day, it’s normal for people to have questions and possibly feel hesitant about getting the vaccine. That doesn’t make them anti-vaccination.”

The Government says it is running a $31-million education campaign through the rollout which will provide Australians with information about the approval process for the vaccines, details on what phases the rollout is at, and who is now eligible to be vaccinated.

“As the vaccination program starts to move into Phase 1b, which covers more than six million people, it’s essential people understand the facts about the vaccines as they make their appointments to get vaccinated,” it said in a statement.