““I am getting vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect myself and my loved ones”, Mabior Mabior tells the camera in his native Dinka tongue.
He’s one of a group of 60 volunteers from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities who have been recruited to take part in the ‘Say goodbye to COVID, get vaccinated’ campaign, which will see content produced in 20 different languages.”
Kumarawansa, H 2021, ‘They speak 20 different languages but they’ve only got one message: get vaccinated,’ SBS News. July 3, accessed 13 July 2021, They speak 20 different languages but they’ve only got one message: get vaccinated (sbs.com.au)
A joint venture initiative has produced a new video campaign aiming to boost the uptake of the coronavirus vaccine among Melbourne’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Those involved said that a lack of in-language information has led to hesitancy among some migrants.
Dr David Isaac from the North Richmond Community Health Centre says while vaccine hesitancy is an issue across the board, in migrant communities it can be fuelled by a lack of health literacy. He emphasises that people who fall into this category should seek GPs who speak their same language.
The campaign, which also stressed the importance of looking after our mental health during COVID-19, was led by healthcare administrator and Australian government initiative North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) in partnership with the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health (CEH)
SBS recently featured the campaign and our work in an article, as an audio news version, and a podcast translated into several languages including Filipino & Indonesian.