Preview

COVID Malawi Vaccine Chiefs USAGM

Please log in to download this media. Not registered? Register now!
Metadata
  • COVID Malawi Vaccine Chiefs USAGM
  • January 25, 2022
  • Content Type Package
  • Language English
  • Transcript/Script English USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: COVID-MALAWI VACCINE CHIEFS HEADLINE: Malawi Chiefs Take Lead in Increasing COVID Vaccine Uptake PUBLISHED: 1/25/22 at 9am BYLINE: Lameck Masina CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Blantyre District VIDEOGRAPHER: Lameck Masina VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X VID APPROVED BY: JONATHAN SPIER TYPE: TVPKGN EDITOR NOTES: Photos for the web available)) ((INTRO)) In Malawi, nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, only seven percent of the population has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, one of the lowest rates in Africa. Village chiefs are trying to change that by urging people to take the jab from mobile vaccination clinics. Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre, Malawi. ((NARRATOR)) Public meetings and door-to-door campaigns are among the strategies village chiefs in Malawi like John Sanganiza are using to mobilize villagers to get vaccinated. Here, the chiefs defuse myths that link COVID-19 vaccine to infertility and allegations that the vaccine is the government's ploy to depopulate the country. ((John Sanganiza, Village Chief ((n Chichewa, 27 secs)) “I give them an example that there is a life prolonging drug, ARVs. If the government wanted to reduce the population by killing people, it could have used ARVs. But now, many people are taking ARV, but they are not dying.” During the campaigns, chiefs accompany mobile vaccination clinics where villagers are voluntarily vaccinated against COVID-19. The effort started in July as part of a yearlong program, funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. A consortium of six NGOs including Goal Malawi is working to scale up vaccine uptake in rural Malawi. In Chief Pasani’s area of 11 villages, about 500 of 1,200 adults have now been vaccinated. ((Jaina Banda, Villager (in CHICHEWA, 23 SECS] “I have long been refusing to get vaccinated because of what some people were saying that vaccines will make me infertile. So as a lady my fear was that I won’t have children. But I have realized that this is not true because some ladies who are vaccinated are able to have children.” With a population of nearly 20 million, only 800,000 people in Malawi have received at least one dose of the vaccine – far, far short from the country’s target of vaccinating 11 million people by December this year. The low uptake is largely attributed to misconceptions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. However, project implementers say working with chiefs has helped change the perception because villagers trust the chiefs. ((Laurent Kumchenga, Save the Children Communications Manager (English 19 secs)) “And also noticing that chiefs, local leaders are getting the jab right in the community is very powerful encouragement to community members. So, we have noticed a very big shift in terms of figures in areas where we are supporting and running this project.” Malawi government health authorities hail the project. ((Mailesi Mhango, District Immunization Coordinator (in English, 19 secs)) “So, we could see some people coming for the vaccine because of their chiefs, mobilization of their chiefs. So, this also, assisted us increase the uptake of the vaccine, maybe up to 15 to 20 percent.” Project implementers say some villagers shy away from the public meetings because they think they will be forced to get the jab. However, that challenge is overcome by a door-to-door campaign where elderly villagers are voluntarily vaccinated right at their doorstep. ((Lameck Masina for VOA News, Blantyre, Malawi))
  • Transcript/Script USAGM SHARE ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: COVID-MALAWI VACCINE CHIEFS HEADLINE: Malawi Chiefs Take Lead in Increasing COVID Vaccine Uptake PUBLISHED: 1/25/22 at 9am BYLINE: Lameck Masina CONTRIBUTOR: DATELINE: Blantyre District VIDEOGRAPHER: Lameck Masina VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, MAS VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X VID APPROVED BY: JONATHAN SPIER TYPE: TVPKGN EDITOR NOTES: Photos for the web available)) ((INTRO)) In Malawi, nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, only seven percent of the population has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, one of the lowest rates in Africa. Village chiefs are trying to change that by urging people to take the jab from mobile vaccination clinics. Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre, Malawi. ((NARRATOR)) Public meetings and door-to-door campaigns are among the strategies village chiefs in Malawi like John Sanganiza are using to mobilize villagers to get vaccinated. Here, the chiefs defuse myths that link COVID-19 vaccine to infertility and allegations that the vaccine is the government's ploy to depopulate the country. ((John Sanganiza, Village Chief ((n Chichewa, 27 secs)) “I give them an example that there is a life prolonging drug, ARVs. If the government wanted to reduce the population by killing people, it could have used ARVs. But now, many people are taking ARV, but they are not dying.” During the campaigns, chiefs accompany mobile vaccination clinics where villagers are voluntarily vaccinated against COVID-19. The effort started in July as part of a yearlong program, funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. A consortium of six NGOs including Goal Malawi is working to scale up vaccine uptake in rural Malawi. In Chief Pasani’s area of 11 villages, about 500 of 1,200 adults have now been vaccinated. ((Jaina Banda, Villager (in CHICHEWA, 23 SECS] “I have long been refusing to get vaccinated because of what some people were saying that vaccines will make me infertile. So as a lady my fear was that I won’t have children. But I have realized that this is not true because some ladies who are vaccinated are able to have children.” With a population of nearly 20 million, only 800,000 people in Malawi have received at least one dose of the vaccine – far, far short from the country’s target of vaccinating 11 million people by December this year. The low uptake is largely attributed to misconceptions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. However, project implementers say working with chiefs has helped change the perception because villagers trust the chiefs. ((Laurent Kumchenga, Save the Children Communications Manager (English 19 secs)) “And also noticing that chiefs, local leaders are getting the jab right in the community is very powerful encouragement to community members. So, we have noticed a very big shift in terms of figures in areas where we are supporting and running this project.” Malawi government health authorities hail the project. ((Mailesi Mhango, District Immunization Coordinator (in English, 19 secs)) “So, we could see some people coming for the vaccine because of their chiefs, mobilization of their chiefs. So, this also, assisted us increase the uptake of the vaccine, maybe up to 15 to 20 percent.” Project implementers say some villagers shy away from the public meetings because they think they will be forced to get the jab. However, that challenge is overcome by a door-to-door campaign where elderly villagers are voluntarily vaccinated right at their doorstep. ((Lameck Masina for VOA News, Blantyre, Malawi))
  • NewsML Media Topics Health
  • Network VOA
  • English Title COVID Malawi Vaccine Chiefs
  • Embargo Date January 25, 2022 08:54 EST
  • Description English Malawi Chiefs Take Lead in Increasing COVID Vaccine Uptake
  • Byline Lameck Masina
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
Frames
Related records