Reaching the Unvaccinated is Critical to Disease Suppression and Eradication

The twice-as-transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 poses a unique threat… to unvaccinated populations. 

Good news: reports indicate that vaccines being distributed in the US are effective against the highly-transmissible Delta variant (Source: LA Times). 

“Nearly every death due to COVID-19 is particularly tragic, because nearly every death - especially among adults - due to COVID-19 is, at this point, entirely preventable.” 

• Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Bad news: unvaccinated populations who are spreading variants of COVID-19 are unwittingly providing opportunities for the disease to continue its course and develop mutations that can lead to unknown public health risks. One critical component to thwarting pandemic outbreaks lies in suppressing these mutations and preventing the virus from adapting. 

So how do we reach unvaccinated populations?

Here are three outreach tactics employed by our partners here at CCL:

• Utilize local, known personalities as “ambassadors” with messages that promote vaccination: a football coach, a revered pediatrician, a recognizable community member. Send a video, voice message, or text directly to constituents’ landline, VOIP, and cell phone numbers.
  
  
• Make it easy to get vaccinated by providing zip code look-up via SMS (text message) so folks can quickly find a walk-in vaccination site near their home or work. Individuals can text in a zip code and get a list within seconds of open vaccination sites.
  
  
• Ensure households with children can readily access the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12+. Make sure mobile clinics, pop-ups, and other sites clearly advertise when they’ve got vaccines that are approved for younger populations. Use geo-locating to send targeted outreach to parents and guardians of eligible young people. 

Curious how others might be designing public outreach campaigns to reach the unvaccinated?

Talk to us.