Doctors and nurses trying to build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines on social media are mounting coordinated campaigns to combat anti-vaccination forces prevalent on those platforms. At the same time, public health groups are mobilizing a global network of vaccine advocates to come to their aid when they are attacked online by activists, who closely monitor certain hashtags and keywords. One group, Shots Heard Round The World, has 900 vetted global physician and other volunteers who it taps to post supportive messages when vaccine advocates’ posts are targeted. Healthcare workers can report anti-vaccine activity through a link on the group’s homepage, which is monitored at all hours. The group, part of a nonprofit that is helping Kaiser Permanente and other health systems encourage COVID-19 vaccination, has shared a detailed playbook for handling anti-vaccination activists that it’s developed after years of promoting vaccines for HPV, flu and diseases. Read more.
