COVID-19 and Vaccine Trust in Black Communities: State of Play and Education and Engagement Programs

Google translate: How to explain that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have more devastating consequences for racialized communities when they are the least disposed to preventive measures such as vaccination? To date, this question has no answers because there is a lack of reliable information to enlighten the authorities and public health policy makers in Canada. Our project aims to better understand the factors that explain the mistrust of Black communities in Canada towards vaccination against COVID-19. More so, it will help to understand how these factors evolve and change over time, depending on the evolution of the pandemic and associated health measures as well as the vaccination promotion campaigns at the heart of this project. Participants in this research will be recruited in Ontario and Quebec, both vaccinated and unvaccinated; these two provinces bring together nearly 80% of black communities in Canada. They will provide information about their profile and whether or not they want to get vaccinated, their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines, experiences of discrimination and their mental health. Focus groups will also be held with vaccinated and unvaccinated participants, Black community leaders, and primary health care and public health professionals. The information collected will be analyzed and the results will make it possible to set up educational campaigns on the vaccine. These campaigns will reduce erroneous or false beliefs about vaccines and increase confidence in the benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The programs and tools that have proven themselves through this project can be used in the future in other vaccination contexts with Black communities in Canada and elsewhere in the West.]