University of Calgary Researchers Launch 19 To Zero: United Against COVID-19 to Shift Public Beliefs and Behaviours

CALGARY, A.B., Dec. 18, 2020 /CNW/ -- 19 To Zero is a dedicated coalition of academics, public health experts, behavioural economists, and creative professionals working to understand, engage with, and shift public perceptions around COVID-19 behaviours and vaccination.

"From the very beginning, this pandemic has been characterized by public confusion and skepticism, which have limited our ability to stop the spread. No one institution—be it the public health community, academia, the government, or the healthcare industry—has been able to adequately address this lack of public trust, so we started building these connections," noted Dr. Jia Hu, Public Health Physician and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  

Collectively called 19 To Zero: United Against COVID-19, the international group represents more than 200 leaders from healthcare, government, and private sector organizations. The diverse team of health, behavioural, and business experts is taking a rigorous, data-driven approach to combating public confusion and mistrust.

19 To Zero will lead the implementation of CONVINCE Canada (COVID-19 New Vaccine Information, Communication, and Engagement), the national arm of the global CONVINCE initiative. The product of a series of global dialogues over the course of the pandemic withCity University of New York School of Public Health, the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Wilton Park, an agency of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, CONVINCE was established to coordinate and foster collaboration among existing networks, partnerships, and activities that support vaccine literacy efforts worldwide.

"While there have been some really promising announcements about the safety and efficacy of these vaccines, we need to keep in mind that to truly end this crisis, we need to ensure that we support a large proportion of the population in getting vaccinated. Unfortunately, we're seeing a rise in vaccine hesitancy across Canada, so this initiative was a welcome call to action," said Dr. Cora Constantinescu, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.

19 To Zero has partnered with the Angus Reid Institute and other groups to compile an extensive body of research that sheds light on the enormity of the challenge. Currently, only 40% of Canadians say they are willing to get the vaccine right away, down from 46% in July. Even the recent news of positive vaccine trials has not moved the needle on vaccine hesitancy. Understanding this sense of public confusion, skepticism, and distrust and finding ways to engage diverse communities will be crucial to shifting behaviour.

19 To Zero is supported by Alberta Innovates and the Cumming School of Medicine Clinical Research Fund.

19 To Zero will launch publicly on Friday, December 18th on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as traditional marketing channels and healthcare and community outreach strategies. Improving adherence to COVID-19 safety behaviours and achieving high enough vaccination uptake to reach community immunity is a daunting challenge. The only path to bringing caseloads down to zero is through the hard work of building public trust. 

For more information visit  19tozero.ca

About 19 To Zero

19 To Zero is a dedicated coalition of academics, public health experts, behavioural economists, and creative professionals working to understand, engage with, and ultimately shift public perceptions around COVID-19 behaviours and vaccination.

About CONVINCE^sm

CONVINCE (COVID-19 New Vaccine Information, Communication, and Engagement) is a global initiative to promote vaccine literacy generally, and confidence in COVID-19 vaccines in particular. Its mission is to encourage sufficient global vaccine acceptance to achieve the level of population immunity needed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

The product of a series of global dialogues over the course of the pandemic with City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (SPH), the Vaccine Confidence project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and Wilton Park, an agency of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, the CONVINCE initiative was established to coordinate and foster collaboration among existing networks, partnerships, and activities that support vaccine literacy efforts worldwide.  CUNY SPH is home to CONVINCE USA^sm, coordinating research and communication strategy development in the US working at the national, state and local level, across the public, private and NGO sectors. (https://sph.cuny.edu/research/convince/)

Co-Founders and Co-Leads
Dr. Scott Ratzan, Distinguished Lecturer at CUNY SPH and Editor of the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives
Professor Heidi Larson, Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Nancy Lee, Programme Director for Global Health and Health Policy at Wilton Park

See here for more information.

SOURCE 19 To Zero