ROLE OF TWITTER IN INFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION ON THE COVID-19 VACCINATION PROCESS

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Background to the Study

The Covid-19 pandemic, which had a severe global impact, spurred the need for mitigation strategies to control the pandemic. The Corona virus illness (SARS-CoV-2) is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (COVID-19). The SARS-CoV-2 virus initially appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan (Hubei, China) and quickly became a global threat affecting nations worldwide. As of the 22nd of December, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in about 76.2 million illnesses and over 1.6 million fatalities globally (Sarah M. 2020). Most nations across the globe use non-pharmaceutical treatments (NPIs) to prevent disease transmission, such as enforcing mask policies, hand cleanliness, social distance, travel restrictions, school closures, and partial or total lockdowns. So far, NPIs have been able to halt the course of the disease, but the most promising method for containing the pandemic and offering hope for lower death and morbidity rates remains within medical technology's capabilities. Antiviral medicines and vaccinations are examples of such medical technology. They are effective, safe, and inexpensive.

A vaccine is a biological preparation that induces active acquired immunity against a specific infectious illness. A vaccination usually comprises an agent that looks like a disease-causing bacterium and is frequently produced from weakened or dead versions of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins. Vaccines are one of the most dependable and cost-effective public health treatments ever developed, saving millions of lives each year. Following the deciphering of the genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 in early 2020 and the declaration of the pandemic by WHO in March 2020, scientists and pharmaceutical companies were racing against time in efforts to develop vaccines. As of October 2020, at least 85 vaccines were under preclinical development in animals, and 63 were in clinical development in humans, with 43 in phase I, 21 in phase II, and 18 in phase III. 6 were authorized for early or limited use in late September 2020, 2 were approved for full use, and one vaccine was abandoned. Remdesivir was authorized as an emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2020 for extremely sick hospitalized COVID-19 patients. However, the WHO advised against its use on November 22, 2020, and later that month, Pfizer-(BNT162b2) BioNTech's and Moderna's (mRNA-1273) mRNA vaccines were authorized for use internationally. (Piltch-Loeb R, Savoia E, Goldberg B, Hughes B, Verhey T & Kayyem J..2021).

Although vaccination is one of the most successful public health interventions and a cornerstone for the prevention of communicable infectious diseases, to ensure progress on Covid-19 vaccination, public acceptance is required to maintain herd immunity, prevent outbreaks of vaccine illnesses, and ensure individuals do not hesitate to adopt novel vaccines. While the development of COVID-19 vaccines has been an extraordinary success, vaccinating most of the global population is an enormous challenge, one for which gaining and maintaining public trust in COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination will be as essential as the effectiveness of the vaccines themselves.

However, in an information age where everyone has access to information and misinformation on the media, several facts and myths about the Covid-19 vaccine have been shared both on the social media and on the traditional media, thus arousing doubts, anxiety and hesitancy among the public about whether to take or not to take the vaccine. The biggest concern of the World Health Organization is the herd communities as well as the rural locales. Since social media is mostly used by those in urban areas,

As the world finds itself in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and administration of the covid-19 vaccine, social media has become inundated with content associated with the virus (Hieken 2020). Although all social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, blogs) were providing disseminating information about the Covid-19 vaccination and medical content, perhaps no other social media consistently played a more prominent role as at that period than Twitter (Hieken 2021).

Twitter is a microblogging and social networking service where users post messages using “tweets” that are limited to 240 characters. Twitter however promotes interaction and public participation over various issues of human concerns. Therefore, the unhindered interactive nature of Twitter has given vast opportunities to the public to engage in interactions and dissemination of information over several issues (Micheal 2002). For well over a decade, Twitter has become increasingly used as a platform where individuals exchange ideas, information, and commentary. The hashtag #FOAMed garners thousands of tweets per hour, and at this momentous period in medical history, no subject is more prominent than COVID-19. With the free-flow of messages, and information about the world’s drastic measures towards Covid-19. Hence this research is geared towards assessing the role of twitter in information and disinformation on the covid-19 vaccination process.

​​​​​​​Statement of the Problem

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people used multiple information resources to gain knowledge and health information about the disease, including television, radio, newspapers, social media, friends, co-workers, healthcare providers, scientists, governments, etc. Since such information sources can shape people's acceptance or refusal of COVID-19 vaccines, it is crucial to disseminate transparent and accurate information about vaccines’ safety and efficacy to gain the trust of the population, especially the hesitant and skeptical ones. Hence, gaining an understanding of the resources that people trust the most to get information about COVID-19 vaccines is critical for the success of any future national vaccination campaign. As part of its efforts to combat misinformation and to encourage the masses to take the covid-19 vaccine, the use of social media platform such as Twitter becomes paramount since the world has become a global village where people assess instant information within seconds of its happening. Following this terrain, reveals that there is still a strong need for the use of Twitter to ensure that correct information about COVID-19 vaccination processes reaches people, irrespective of their location or literacy level, and the message on the platform should be persuasive enough to build trust among people towards vaccination acceptance. Therefore, it is upon the premise that this study seeks to examine the role of twitter in information and disinformation on the covid-19 vaccination process.

​​​​​​​Objective of the Study

The broad objective of the study is to examine the role of twitter in information and disinformation on the covid-19 vaccination process. Specifically the study seeks:

1. To know if Twitter users in Nigeria have knowledge of the virus and the vaccine.
2. To provide basic information on the virus and the vaccine in Nigeria.
3. To know if the Twitter exposure and awareness affected their choice for vaccinations or not.
4. To know how often COVID-19 vaccine process adverts and awareness are done on Twitter.

1.4 Research Question

The research is guided by the following questions:

1. Does the Twitter users in Nigeria have knowledge of the virus and the vaccine?
2. Has  Twitter provide basic information on the virus and the vaccine in Nigeria?
3. Would the Twitter exposure and awareness affect the audience choice for vaccinations?
4. How often are COVID-19 vaccine process adverts and awareness are done on Twitter?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The result of the study will be relevant to the general public and government of Nigeria as well will compel the immediate need for them to government to engage in more publicity on the Covid-19 vaccine on Twitter platform as this will help the audience to take the message more serious. Finally the study will contribute empirically to the body of Knowledge and as well serve as a reference material for student and scholars who wishes to conduct further studies in related field.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

The scope of this study focuses to know if Twitter users in Nigeria have knowledge of the virus and the vaccine. This study will also provide basic information on the virus and the vaccine in Nigeria. This study will further examine if the Twitter exposure and awareness affected their choice for vaccinations or not. Finally, this study will investigate to know how often COVID-19 vaccine process adverts and awareness are done on Twitter. This study shall be delimited to Twitter Users resident in Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria.

1.7 Limitation of the Study

This research project, like all human endeavors, had some challenges that threatened to derail the study's completion. One of the reasons is that the time allotted for this work was so limited that the researcher did not have enough time to complete the task thoroughly. During data collection, the researcher also had to put forth extra effort to understand the respondents' interview schedules, several of whom fell into the incomprehensible age group. Also, there were financial and transportation constraints to deal with. Insufficient funds tend to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire, interview).

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