![]() “Throughout the pandemic, people across Canada have been doing their part to limit the spread of COVID-19 by getting vaccinated and following individual protective measures. By crowding out misinformation, we can support vaccination efforts across Canada and protect more people―and communities-from COVID-19.” The Immunization Partnership Fund is helping trusted organizations across Canada to share credible COVID-19 vaccine information with their communities. “The spread of misinformation can cause real harm and put our progress in the fight against COVID-19 in jeopardy. The Government of Canada continues to work closely with experts, the provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, and community partners to increase vaccine confidence and better address the barriers people may face to getting vaccinated. The IPF is one tool of many that the federal government is using to help people across the country get vaccinated to protect themselves, those around them, and our health care system. These innovative and evidence-based projects serve to support health care providers and other community leaders in increasing vaccine uptake among underserved and marginalized populations, including Indigenous, racialized, religious minority, and newcomer communities. To date, close to 100 community-based projects have been launched with this funding, with a goal to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake in communities across Canada. The reasons for vaccine hesitancy are complex, and investments through the IPF aim to address these factors and close the gap in vaccine hesitancy and uptake through evidence-based, culturally relevant and community-based interventions. This brings the Government of Canada's total investment in the IPF to $78 million since 2020, of which $45.5 million is dedicated to supporting national, regional and local initiatives. Fighting the spread of harmful, false health information is critical to our pandemic response as the spread of misinformation continues to undermine vaccine confidence and can hinder our COVID-19 vaccination efforts.Īs such, today, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, announced an additional $14 million investment in the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF), for projects that address misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines used to protect against it. However, we know that certain Canadians have doubts and hesitations about getting vaccinated. In the fight against COVID-19, it is critical that as many people as possible get vaccinated to help keep themselves and their communities healthy and protect our health care system. Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect the health of Canadians and people around the world. Through the Wellness Together Canada online portal, people of all ages across the country can access immediate, free and confidential mental health and substance use supports, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create stress and anxiety for many Canadians, particularly those who do not have ready access to their regular support networks. 1 Reacting to this reality, the World Health Organization added “vaccine hesitancy” to its list of the “10 Threats to Global Health in 2019.” 2 Because high rates of vaccination benefit society and antivaccine misinformation causes harm to the most vulnerable, 1 governments should do more to combat misinformation and communicate the benefits of vaccination.Janu| Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada This misinformation contributes to an increase in unvaccinated children and undermining of herd immunity, pertinent to recent measles outbreaks. 1 A 2019 study 1 even found that neutral searches of the word vaccine by a new user with no friends or likes yielded overwhelmingly antivaccine content unsupported by science both on Facebook and YouTube. In fact, half of all parents with children younger than 5 years have been exposed to misinformation about vaccines on social media. ![]() These activists use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, to share misleading information supporting their views on vaccines. The challenges of balancing free speech against harms caused by misinformation on social media are well illustrated by antivaccine activists, who claim that vaccines cause death or other harmful adverse effects against the evidence. Freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights in the United States.
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