Results from a recent online study conducted by Direct Relief, Facebook Data for Good and Puerto Rican vaccination organization, Voces Coalición de Inmunización y Promoción de la Salud en Puerto Rico, suggest that the use of local celebrities may be effective in Covid-19 vaccine promotion among younger audiences.

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The effectiveness of four separate ads, each featuring a different celebrity, was tested among two target audiences. The two defined target groups consisted of younger individuals (between ages 18-34) and older (35+) located in Puerto Rico. The study launched in mid-August and ran for three weeks, reaching over 486,000 people in Puerto Rico.

The celebrities featured in these ads included: musical artist VF7, members of the Vaqueros de Bayamón Puerto Rican professional basketball team Benito Santiago and Victor Carattini, former professional baseball player Carlos Delgado, and Puerto Rican actress/comedian Angela Mayer. The messaging of these ads promoted the goal of reaching 70% of the Puerto Rican population vaccination rate, directed individuals to visit Voces Puerto Rico’s vaccination clinics, as well as click on Voces’ vaccination clinic calendar. The study garnered nearly 38,000 visits to Voces’ vaccination clinic calendar.

VF 7 Ad:

Benito Santiago and Victor Carattini  – Vaqueros de Bayamón Ad:

Carlos Delgado Ad:

Angela Mayer Ad:

To understand how well different approaches performed with the target audience in terms of shifting attitudes towards the Covid-19 vaccine, the research team conducted a brand lift survey comparing viewers who saw the ads (the test group) and those who did not (the control group) on a range of questions related to vaccine acceptance. The survey measured the individual’s recall of the ad, perceived importance of vaccinations in preventing Covid-19, perceived social approval of the Covid-19 vaccine, and whether the individual knew where in their community they could receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

Results from this study suggest that the ads were effective in promoting social approval of vaccinations among the younger audience, with a +2.8 percentage point difference in this question when compared to the control group. Additionally, results suggest that this study was effective in promoting where people can get the vaccine in their community for both younger and older audiences with a difference of +2.2 and +2.0 percentage points respectively. Conversely, the ads were not effective in promoting the “importance of the vaccine” for either audience.

Final results of the study indicate that thousands of individuals reported to be more accepting and/or knowledgeable of the Covid-19 vaccine as a result of the campaign.

Apart from the survey results, during the three week campaign, Voces observed an increase in average daily vaccinations compared to the month leading up to the campaign. The increase was considerable, but it’s important to note that other factors, including non-Facebook outreach may have contributed to an increase in uptake during the campaign period.

The results of this digital campaign are extremely encouraging and highlight the efficacy of digital campaigns for building confidence in vaccines. Moreover, we learned that depicting influencers can be an effective strategy for disseminating useful information about vaccines and improving perceptions of social approval.

“At VOCES we are satisfied to be part of this initiative. The campaign Ready Para Abrazarnos achieved an impressive impact among the different sectors of the population who responded to the call for vaccination against Covid-19. The feeling of unity as a country was one of solidarity and support,” said Lilliam Rodríguez Capó, CEO and founder of Voces.

“As COVID-19 vaccine uptake lags among younger adults in the U.S., the results from this collaboration demonstrate that influencers can be effective in promoting vaccine information and social approval among this demographic,” said Kadeem Khan, Research Manager, Data for Good at Facebook.

The post Puerto Rico Covid-19 Vaccine Messaging Gets Boost from Local Influencers appeared first on Direct Relief.

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#ReadyParaAbrazarnos Launches in Puerto Rico to Boost Vaccination Rates

The situation: 63% of Puerto Rico’s adult population has been vaccinated, compared to a national average of 62%, but health officials are aiming to hit a 70% vaccination rate by engaging people 30 years and younger.

The response: VOCES, a nonprofit focused on vaccinations and health, is partnering with Direct Relief on an island-wide campaign to reach those who remain unvaccinated. Musicians, athletes including baseball legend Carlos Delgado and other celebrities are part of a campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated.

The impact:  Direct Relief and VOCES have been part of vaccination efforts on the island, including large-scale vaccine drives in arenas, outreach at health centers, and vaccination efforts in the Plaza Las Americas, the island’s largest shopping mall that often records as many as 50,000 visitors a day.

Direct Relief Facilitates Covid Vaccine Deliveries to Belize, Bolivia, Mexico, and Paraguay

The situation: With the U.S. reopening after making vaccines widely available, Covid-19 continues to surge abroad, largely due to a lack of vaccine doses. From South America and the Caribbean to Africa and South Asia, the percentage of people in some regions without access to a vaccine is still in the single digits. That’s why ensuring global access to vaccines is vital.

The response: The governments of both the United States and Mexico requested assistance from Direct Relief in delivering 1.75 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to Mexico and throughout Central and South America. Thanks to a long-standing relationship with FedEx, Direct Relief was able to arrange for the vaccines to be flown from the U.S. to Mexico, and to support the government of Mexico in shipping vaccines to Belize, Bolivia, and Paraguay, the organization secured specialized containers and arranged for the doses to be safely packed.

The impact: The vaccine doses will help prevent anticipated surges of Covid-19 in the recipient countries. And, with each shot, the world gets a little closer to ending the pandemic.

As India Continues Covid-19 Battle, Medical Supplies Arrive in Mumbai

The situation: Covid-19 infections are slowing in India, but for frontline medical providers, the fight continues.

The response: Direct Relief, working with FedEx, has sent three chartered flights full of PPE and other medical supplies to India – a total of 130 tons of aid. The most recent arrived in Mumbai on June 13.

The impact: Tata Memorial Centre will distribute the supplies to frontline medical facilities throughout the country.

Free Meals for Vaccinations: DoorDash and Direct Relief Team Up with NACHC and the White House

The situation: 65% of American adults are at least partially vaccinated against Covid-19, but the pace of vaccinations has slowed significantly in recent weeks.

The response: To incentivize those still on the fence, Direct Relief, DoorDash, and the National Association of Community Health Centers are providing patients receiving vaccines with free meal credits.

“DoorDash is proud to team up with the White House and donate gift cards to bolster efforts to vaccinate over 70% of Americans by July 4th. We applaud the Administration for its ambitious public health initiatives, and are grateful to our partners, the National Association of Community Health Centers and Direct Relief, for their commitment to expanding vaccine access. We’re thrilled that these gift cards can help people get a meal delivered from a local restaurant so they can focus on resting after receiving their vaccination. In total, we’ve provided more than $3 million to help support vaccine outreach this year and we hope that this collaboration will play a part in getting our communities back to normal safely and responsibly,” said Tony Xu, CEO and Co-Founder of DoorDash.

Direct Relief is also working with Uber to connect health center patients seeking a vaccine with free rides.

The impact: It’s part of the White House’s “Month of Action,” a collaborative effort with businesses to help get 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by July 4.

In Brief

The United States

• Over the past two weeks, Direct Relief has delivered 982 medical aid shipments to 615 healthcare organizations in 48 states and territories, totaling $11.1 million in value and more than 48,000 pounds.
• During that time, $380,000 in grants from Direct Relief have been issued.

Around the World

• In the past two weeks, Direct Relief has delivered 41 shipments of medical aid to 45 healthcare organizations in 26 countries, totaling more than 125,000 pounds.
• $542,000 in grants were distributed over the same two weeks.

Other News

• El Vocero – Artists and athletes step up vaccination efforts
  NACHC – Free Meals for Vaccinations: DoorDash and Direct Relief Team Up with NACHC and the White House
• Metallica – Month of Giving Supports Feeding America and Direct Relief
• Center for Disease Research and Policy – Supply of opioid antidote naloxone strong during COVID-19
• CBR – Humble Bundle Raises Over $1 Million for COVID-19 Relief
• FedEx – FedEx Extends Support, Donates Third Dedicated Charter Flight Carrying Critical COVID-19 Aid to India
• Amazon – Amazon Opens Disaster Relief Hub in Atlanta for Faster Response to Natural Disasters
• Santa Barbara Independent – Direct Relief Flying Donated Vaccines to Countries to the South

The post Global Update: Puerto Rico Kicks Off Vaccine Awareness Campaign, Vaccines Arrive in Mexico, India Airlift appeared first on Direct Relief.

“Solíamos viajar mucho”, dijo Ramos. “Ahora, simplemente salgo de casa para ir a la iglesia y al supermercado. [Del Valle] no sale”.

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La pareja está jubilada, pero durante la pandemia, han estado cuidando a su nieto y actuando como tutores informales durante el año académico virtual.

“Trabajamos con él hasta altas horas de la noche”, dijo Ramos. El gran volumen de asignaciones, y los desafíos de navegar a través de la tecnología virtual, fue abrumador. “No estábamos preparados para esto”.

El Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico ha establecido 11 sitios de vacunación a gran escala alrededor de la isla. El objetivo es inmunizar a más de 620.000 personas para fines de junio. Según la Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico, más de 320,000 dosis de la vacuna Covid-19 han llegado a Puerto Rico. Más de 160.000 personas han recibido su primera dosis.

Ramos y Del Valle estaban entre esos 160.000.

“Esperamos hacer un viaje pronto”, dijo Del Valle.

LAS ORGANIZACIONES LOCALES AVANZAN

Gladys Cisneros y su hija Betsy Suárez recibieron la vacuna Moderna en el Centro Cultural Yolanda Guerrero en Guaynabo, donde VOCES, la principal coalición de inmunización de Puerto Rico y socio de Direct Relief desde hace muchos años, administra un sitio de vacunación.

Cisneros, que vive sola, no ha podido ver a su familia. Ella solo se ha estado comunicando con ellos por teléfono. “[La vacuna] nos dio esperanza”, dijo Suárez. “Podemos ver la luz al final del túnel”.

Lilliam Rodríguez, directora ejecutiva de VOCES, espera expandir su iniciativa de vacunación para aumentar el ritmo de la inmunización y llegar a más personas.

Al igual que VOCES, los centros de salud comunitarios de la isla han encabezado la lucha contra COVID a través de sitios de pruebas, rastreo de contactos y monitoreo de pacientes que dieron positivo. Ahora están administrando vacunas.

Direct Relief ha apoyado a los centros durante toda la pandemia, principalmente a través de la provisión de subvenciones, EPI, donaciones de carpas y servicios de telesalud. Direct Relief también equipó todos los centros de salud de Puerto Rico con refrigeradores de grado médico para aumentar la capacidad de las clínicas de almacenar medicamentos y vacunas sensibles a la temperatura.

Un centro de salud, Health Pro Med, ya está inmunizando a 300 personas por día, según su directora ejecutiva, Ivonne Rivera.

“Todo está funcionando sin problemas”, dijo.

The post En Puerto Rico, las vacunas Covid-19 están en plena marcha appeared first on Direct Relief.

The organization has offered support to healthcare providers across the island, in coordination with the Puerto Rican Department of Health, the Puerto Rican Hospital Association, the Puerto Rican Medical Reserve Corps, and the Puerto Rican Primary Care Association. Direct Relief is also coordinating relief efforts with the Mayors of Guanica and Guayanilla, which were the hardest hit areas.

With support from local organizations like VOCES, University of Puerto Rico, and Federally Qualified Health Centers, Direct Relief will be organizing teams of doctors, nurses, and mental health counselors to offer medical and mental health services to residents and those staying in the shelters of these hardest hit areas, and who are still suffering from the impacts of Hurricane Maria.

Direct Relief is also sending overnight to Puerto Rico an Emergency Health Kit with over 200 essential medical items, and has made available its cache of medical inventory to hospitals and health centers treating patients.

Materials include: respiratory medications, blood pressure medications, diabetes oral medication and insulins, wound care, antibiotics, IV fluids, and neurological and psychiatric medications. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, there was a lack of medicine available, especially for those with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Direct Relief has also published a live earthquake incident map detailing the severity and location of the earthquakes that will be updated as damage reports come in.

Direct Relief has extensive experience responding to earthquakes and other emergencies worldwide, including in Puerto Rico.

Since Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017, Direct Relief has supported nonprofit healthcare providers and community-based organizations with more than $100 million in material and financial resources to strengthen their ability to withstand and recover from disasters.

Direct Relief has also equipped the entire 350-person Puerto Rican Medical Reserve Corps team with Emergency Medical Backpacks, and has purchased over 30 mobile medical units and off-road vehicles to get to patients who cannot access services.

The post Earthquake Strikes Puerto Rico, Direct Relief Mobilizes Response appeared first on Direct Relief.

More than 50 vaccination centers, pharmacies, hospitals and primary health centers across the island have joined The Puerto Rico Free of Influenza 100×35 Challenge, which calls for protection against influenza and aims to provide all citizens in Puerto Rico with access to flu shots – free of charge.

“We remain committed to making vaccines accessible to the Puerto Rican community, and to any region of the island that needs it. We continue with our mission to use every available resource and make it available to people for the welfare and health of the country, a topic that has always been a priority for the administration of the governor, Ricardo Rosselló,” said Dr. Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, Secretary of Health.

“We continue to be alert and without letting our guard down to fight this terrible disease that has affected a large part of the population in Puerto Rico and has already claimed five lives,” said Lilliam Rodriguez Capó, manager of the initiative and founding president of VOCES. “With this initiative, in collaboration with the Department of Health and other partners, we will be arriving for free at every corner and we hope that each home will ensure that everyone in their family is protected.”

The objective is to prevent the transmission of contagious influenza, save lives and safeguard the health of all, especially first responders, children, adolescents and the elderly, people with chronic disease or weakened immune systems, caregivers and other vulnerable groups. Flu season is not over yet, and all are encouraged to get a vaccination.

For Saturday’s vaccination locations, visit the VOCES Facebook page or the organization’s website, or by calling (787) 789-4008.

The post Puerto Rico Gears Up for Island-Wide Flu Vaccine Campaign appeared first on Direct Relief.