Exploring family communication as a strategy to counter misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy in Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is unprecedented in scale and speed and has literally changed urban and rural behaviours in various countries and the global economy. The world became aware of COVID-19 in January 2020 as a concerning, though a limited outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, China. The first cases were noted on 26 December 2019 and the World Health Organisation (WHO) was notified by 31 December of the same year. On 30 January 2020, WHO declared Covid-19 as a public health emergency of global concern. The impact of the disease was unique in different families, and these differences can be attributed to religious beliefs, cultural disposition, family values, norms, level of education, and health infrastructure. However, one of the main challenges in South Africa was communicating the impact of the virus through different health communication and public health programs articulated by government to inform and educate the citizens. The challenges range from cultural challenges to infomedics, to vaccine hesitancy. The paper, using secondary data and a case study approach, concludes that health providers, together with community leaders, need to adopt the concept of family communication, and encourage family bond building and cohesion through deliberate intervention programs in Durban as a major strategy. The paper also concludes that the media and curriculum developers in school should focus on promoting and teaching the importance of family cohesion as this will enhance trust, and simplified communication approach that can be expended in addressing the issues around the COVID-19.