Misinformation blamed for low Covid-19 vaccine uptake

Covid misinformation is driving vaccine hesitancy and mistrust across Sydney’s southwest, according to community leaders and local doctors.

Sydney resident Dai Le receives her Covid-19 vaccination from Cabramatta pharmacist Quinn On. Picture: Ryan Osland

The spread of Covid misinformation is being blamed for ongoing vaccine hesitancy and mistrust in Sydney’s southwest, with community leaders and local doctor saying WeChat and other unchecked social media are turning thousands of residents against getting the jab.

New data released by the federal government on Tuesday showed vaccine uptake in Sydney’s Covid corridor remained comparatively low to other local government areas, with only 33 per cent of eligible residents receiving their first jab and 15 per cent fully vaccinated.

Despite launching a multilingual awareness campaign, community leaders and doctors insist government messaging is still failing to penetrate its most ethnically diverse and vulnerable residents.

Prominent local pharmacist Quinn On believed there was little the government could do to combat the spread of “lies and misinformation” already circulating on social media.

“In the Vietnamese and Chinese communities we’re in a lot of trouble,” said Mr On, who has been administering AstraZeneca at his Cabramatta pharmacy for the past two weeks.

“I’ve had to remind my own family to ignore social media and some international sources, which are actively spreading misinformation, particularly about AstraZeneca. It’s poisonous and it’s happening a lot.”

The Chinese-owned social media app WeChat – which boasts hundreds of thousand of daily users across Australia – has become a powerful disseminator of Covid misinformation, according to Mr On, who argued vaccine mistrust within the southwest continues to be stoked by unverified sources and dangerous conspiracy theories.

As early as April 2020, Mr On said he began to observe the spread of Covid misinformation on WeChat, but said it had only intensified since the rollout of vaccines in February.

In chat groups that sometimes include up to 1000 participants, false Covid information has claimed mRNA vaccines can genetically modify human DNA and that AstraZeneca is the equivalent of injecting poison. Similar posts show participants claiming to be infectious disease experts, while referring to false academic sources that reportedly contradict Australian health advice.

Fairfield councillor Dai Le, who has been campaigning for uptake of the AstraZeneca vaccine among elderly residents, said delayed government messaging allowed underground social media and misinformation to take root.

“I have family and friends that read news from Vietnam or other countries about the vaccine and are convinced AstraZeneca will kill you,” she said.