COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in South Africa and Zimbabwe : urgent need to address community preparedness, fears and hesitancy

Abstract

South Africa became one of the first African countries to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As the rest of Africa prepares to receive COVID-19 vaccines, most countries in Africa have set up nationallevel coordination committees for developing national vaccination deployment plans. While the main focus of these committees has been on setting up strategies that facilitate the swift distribution of COVID-19 vaccines once they are available, the role of effective public health awareness should not be ignored. Countries must devise strategies on how best to enhance public understanding and curb misinformation about the vaccines. With this viewpoint, we unpack the threat of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and offer recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine communication strategies in the South African and Zimbabwean contexts.