Ireland’s health service was able to respond quickly and decisively to misleading COVID-19 vaccine narratives and dramatically increase vaccine uptake through its partnership with Kinzen.

Summary

COVID-19 vaccine uptake continues to be a huge challenge for countries around the world, in part due the spread of false narratives about its side effects. In Ireland, where mass inoculation began on December 29 2020, the Department of Health and Health Service Executive, the country’s health service, realised the importance of anticipating people’s concerns and sought to avoid the proliferation of inaccurate information before it spread widely online. A partnership with Kinzen allowed both public bodies to create a comprehensive media plan that addressed citizens' concerns and empowered them to spot and share correct information. At the time of writing, Ireland has vaccinated 93% of the adult population, the highest percentage in the European Union, and has been widely praised for the speed and clarity of its rollout.

Problem

In December 2020, misinformation about the importance, safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines was having an active effect on achieving a high uptake of immunisation. In Ireland in particular, “[misinformation] really felt like it exploded almost overnight” according to fact-checking specialist Christine Bohan. Subsequent research published in May 2021 found that vaccine hesitancy in the UK and Ireland was significantly higher in women than in men due to “issues around fertility” caused by incorrect information “channelled through relevant social influencers”.

The challenge for the Department of Health and Health Service Executive during this period was staying on top of the range of false narratives spreading online and developing clear messages about both the benefits of vaccination and the low risks of receiving an injection. This is where Kinzen came in.

Response

In late 2020, as part of a range of measures, members of the communication team at the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive began receiving Kinzen’s daily newsletter briefing to keep on top of evolving narratives related to Covid-19 in Ireland.

Curated by Kinzens’ trained experts in social media verification, the briefing highlighted specific narratives that were gaining traction, including “alternative cures” and threats posed to pregnant women and children, as well as global conspiracy theories, such as the elite depopulation agenda and gene therapy narrative. The briefing did not make any recommendations about taking down content from the platforms to limit its visibility or suspending users. 

The briefing acted as an early warning system and allowed staff at the Department of Health and Health Service Executive to prepare public responses before the false information gained traction. For example, between January and March 2021, Kinzen warned about a surge in online rumours about the impact of vaccines on women’s fertility. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), which coordinated the response to COVID-19, used the information to produce targeted messaging to combat these concerns, which have no scientific basis at the time of writing. This messaging featured Dr. Cliona Murphy, Chair of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and was distributed on the March 8 via press release and social media posts.

Results

HSE’s communications team reported that timely and accurate information to combat emerging online narratives played a key part in Ireland’s high vaccination uptake. “Kinzen’s analysis helped both the Department of Health and the HSE ensure that we had a timely overview of online conversations that had the potential to be problematic by spreading mis- and disinformation online,” explained Deirdre Watters, Head of Communications at the Department of Health. “The daily briefing was presented in a way that was insightful and actionable. It would have been very hard to do our job during this period without it”.

Irish search data from Google Trends shows that searches containing the words “covid” and “fertility” in the week after the press briefing and social media campaign decreased significantly compared to the two preceding weeks. 

By the end of May 2021, 18% of the population in Ireland were already fully vaccinated and a further 22% had received one dose. Dr Colm Henry, chief clinical officer of the Health Service Executive, called the uptake of the vaccination “astonishing” and “the envy of the rest of Europe”. 

A survey conducted in May 2021 by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions found that people in Ireland are the most willing among European member states to take the COVID-19 vaccine. It also concluded that there was a strong association between vaccine hesitancy and social media usage. 

Media reports heralded the vaccination programme as an “extraordinary success story” and, as of November 25, Ireland has fully vaccinated 93% of the adult population and 76% of the total population.

“Ireland has one of the highest levels of COVID-19 vaccination in the world,” added Watters. “I firmly believe this is directly related to our excellent working relationship with Kinzen. This work has prevented many thousands of people experiencing serious illness and mortality as a result of COVID-19 infection.”