Community-focused Interventions in Response to COVID-19 in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Abstract

Before the pandemic, vaccine hesitancy was listed as one of the biggest threats to global public health.  After COVID-19 appeared, and in anticipation of COVID-19 vaccines, the amount of vaccine misinformation and disinformation circulating on the internet and on various social media platforms more than doubled.  The world is learning as we go, with new information shared as the pandemic unfolds, and, in some cases, government responses have been politicised.  This has fed the public’s fear and uncertainty.  Therefore, successful COVID-19 vaccination programmes, must build trust and counter misinformation and make reliable information easily available.  This article describes the interventions implemented in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to collect information on community perceptions around COVID-19 vaccinations with a focus on the following interventions: youth volunteer activities, engaging frontline workers and social listening.  This report utilized a desk review of key reports and data to provide examples of best practices and to inform future risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) strategies and policies.