COVID-19: Australia launches 'Spread Freedom' campaign to hit 80% 'fully vaccinated' mark

Amid the third COVID-19 wave, the Australian Government on October 24 launched a vaccine communication campaign “Spread Freedom” to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus by inoculating the maximum proportion of the population. In a government’s release on Sunday, Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt conveyed the message ‘we’re almost there Australia’, reminding the citizens that with increasing vaccinations, the country would be able to return to a “more normal, free life.” To further encourage ‘First Australians’ to get fully jabbed against COVID-19, Canberra is also launching a project titled ‘For all of us’ that will feature high profile Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to push the mob to come forward and get the shot. 

Australian celebrities such as popular model Samantha Harris, musician Baker Boy, chef Nornie Bero, street artist Tori-Jay Mordey and renowned didgeridoo player and vocalist William Barton will all collaborate with the government’s campaign to encourage further vaccination uptakes and will advertise to combat vaccine hesitancy nationwide to achieve the herd immunity goals. 

“The project conveys the simple message ‘For our past, for our future, for all of us. Get vaccinated for COVID-19’”, Australia’s health ministry said in a release on Sunday. 

On-the-ground engagement, TV adverts, information kiosks related to COVID-19 vaccines 

With 70% of the eligible general population now fully vaccinated, and more than 86.1% administered with at least one dose of the vaccine, Australia had entered the ‘Plan B’ of the vaccination campaign. It is now ensuring that it pushes 80% of its total population to the ‘fully vaccinated’ mark. The country will air from tonight the ‘Spread Freedom’ campaign using encouraging materials related to COVID-19 vaccination that will be shared across all media channels. 

“The advertisements create a sense of encouragement and a feeling of enjoying more freedoms as Australia opens up, as Australians start to return to travelling overseas, birthday parties, weddings, and a family Christmas,” Australia’s minister for health,  Greg Hunt, said.

“It provides a positive, hopeful tone, with a touch of humour, to motivate those who are more hesitant, to get vaccinated to avoid missing out on greater freedoms,” he added in the government’s release. 

Australia is working to eliminate the hesitancy among the specially-abled people and the multicultural communities that are now being consulted regularly by the health department officials to ensure the vaccination messaging “is clear, appropriate and disseminated through the best communication channels to reach all Australians,” the government stated. The communication campaign will include rigorous on-the-ground engagement with the Australians. The health department will set up the information kiosks at shopping centres and events across several areas and will organise the community in-reach activities with CALD and Indigenous communities.

Image: AP