Thread by @mylittlebaklava

Friendly, humble suggestions from my end on getting more Greeks vaccinated for #COVID19 @YpYgGR

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@eody_gr @joikonomou @Pierrakakis @spisapounas @NikoEfst @EffyVayena @MonicaGandhi9 @stasiapc @greek_patient @dimitraef @Drdaska @papadimi @ElenaBec @elenapapad

I know as you all convene today (@VanaSypsa @STsiodras @YpYgGR @eody_gr @dparask69) to discuss #COVID19 measures, may I suggest for those working on #COVID19 vaccine confidence + uptake the following:

1) Let's start with the current government website (emvolio.gov.gr); needs to properly date any document uploaded on the actual document (e.g. like this one) emvolio.gov.gr/sites/default/… @Pierrakakis

The FAQ needs updating as well (e.g we have billions of people vaccinated globally), and again, I think it should be PRODUCT specific (general information is limited): emvolio.gov.gr/syxnes-erotise…

On the issue of being product specific, please take a look at the Irish website (which I think is excellent); the names of the vaccines are right in front of you from the main page: www2.hse.ie/screening-and-…

The Greek government website needs its interface cleaned up @Pierrakakis

This paper is still relevant, from Greece to the US. @dparask69 @VanaSypsa @STsiodras
academic.oup.com/ofid/article/8…

To vaccinate the remaining 40% of Greeks, the top-down approach will not be the solution, in my opinion. The harder work begins now (more time intensive, I think)

Mr @Pierrakakis and all digital savvy Greeks @ThanosKosmidis @NikoEfst @GKalamitsis, we should consider a chatbot (like the French did) which seemed to work (we have good experience in sharing information on HIV testing, PrEP in other countries)

cnrs.fr/en/chatbot-add…

2) Convenience: there is an attempt to do this over past few months, but we need more; simple proposal - look at the data we have on sub-regional coverage, and have Saturday/Sunday vaccination drives at churches. It's been done, keep doing it @hess_se @georgepavlakis

Regarding convenience, what do many middle-class Greek housewives (and me) do on a Saturday morning? They go to the farmer markets (λαϊκή), right? @anikolakopoulos @BillieAng @VanaSypsa

I suspect here is an opportunity for convenient pop-up vaccination

This is probably a great way to also vaccinate Pakistanis, Indians, other South Asians, migrant workers who are also more likely to not be vaccinated

3) Social workers: not sure we have trained them to the extent that they can be also vaccine education ambassadors (maybe they have and I missed it) - but this surely is an untapped opportunity.

4) cash incentives? I would like to see a quick evaluation if this worked in Greece, but the findings from other countries have mixed results, but smaller cash incentives may help cash-strapped Greeks (which sadly will get worse with increasing costs in basic goods)

5) Grassroots approach is the way to go; I still point all of you to #CDC's 12 strategies to engage your community. I really love this document (thanks @RWalensky @CDCDirector @dr_demetre)

cdc.gov/vaccines/covid… @eody_gr @GKalamitsis @positivevoicegr @greek_patient

#polikatikies if you are a health professional/social workers and live in an apartment building - information is power. Post your email, number if you are comfortable with that or carve out time to answer people's questions on vaccines in an outdoor space @NikoEfst @PGoggolidou

#polikatikies This is where having updated, product specific information may be helpful for those of us trying to serve as vaccine ambassadors to our neighbors. @NikoEfst @PGoggolidou

#polikatikies I still think the key point that people struggle with is safety (not effectiveness). we have to contextualize risk (e.g. I told my Mykonian friends hesitating to get vaccinated with J&J/AZN that they live in an island where everyone drinks and drives in the summer)

6) Media role/responsibility: I think we have a lot of #verbal #diarrhea on #Greek media @dgatopoulos @daphnenews @damomac - and we do more harm than wood. I am not sure how constructive it is to have Adonis Georgiadis or Pavlos Polakis yelling.

On the issue of #verbal #diarrhea on Greek news @skaigr @alphatvgreece @papadimi @AnnaKynthia, we need to pull the reigns on how scientists and clinicians are deployed to state their own opinion on matters that are nuanced around vaccination and again does more harm than good

I should have said we need to vaccinate 'people' in Greece, not just Greeks (as we have migrants/refugees) residing in the country (whether documented/undocumented).

And very timely, WHO has been focusing on how faith-based communities can support COVID-19 responses in countries. Take a look at this @SimaBarmania @AVeizis @PGoggolidou @TCKyriakides @vasilisyale @EffyVayena who.int/news-room/even… @hess_se @UNHCRGreece @IOMGREECE

And this: thanks to my dear @ECDC_EU colleague Giovanni Ravasi for sharing this: ecdc.europa.eu/en/publication…