Irish people 'privileged' to get Covid-19 vaccine, says former WHO expert

Dr Ian Norton, one of the world’s leading disaster management experts

Irish people are privileged to be offered a vaccine and we should be doing everything we can to counter misinformation about vaccines, particularly on social media.

That’s according to Bandon native Dr Ian Norton, a former head of the WHO’s Emergency Medical Team Initiative, now based in Queensland, Australia. He is urging Irish people to get vaccinated.

“When I see people not wanting to take [the Covid-19 vaccine] at home, I ask myself, do they really realise there are so many vulnerable populations in other parts of the world that have not got that privilege?” he said.

“If we all get vaccinated then we have a chance to get back to life as we knew it before.

"If we don’t, and say 15% to 20% of us refuse to be vaccinated, we won’t achieve the herd immunity that we need and therefore we’ll all be stuck in this boat for some time.” 

Dr Norton said the Brazilian variant “really worries” him adding that it’s vital the most vulnerable people in society are vaccinated as quickly as possible before it and other variants “begin to circle around". He said:

We must all do our best to counter misinformation about vaccines, particularly on social media, in any way we can.

For those whose friends and family may have fallen victim to vaccine misinformation, Dr Norton advises trying to put yourself “in their shoes” and examine what has led them to gravitate towards this piece of misinformation in the first place.

“Does it feed into other worries they have?” he asked. 

“We see a range of reactions to Covid risks from those who deny there is any issue at all and we should just get back to normal, to those who want to bunker down and not leave the house for the next year.

“The answer is somewhere in the middle."

Vaccines and other developments are ways to make ‘living with Covid’ a reality. 

Dr Norton has previously led responses to ebola, diphtheria, and measles outbreaks in various countries. 

He worries that his peers in public health and Government can be slow to realise the power of social media versus more traditional communication tools, leaving more room for conspiracies and misinformation to spread.

“Unless we adapt our messages to keep up, it leaves a void that’s rapidly filled by misinformation, personal or anecdotal opinion rather than facts and evidence," he said.

If we can’t retell stories and messages that speak to each section of society, including minority and ethnic groups, then we lose them.

“It makes us all more vulnerable if we have pockets of unvaccinated people or those that aren’t following public health guidance, through lack of awareness or a drive to counter 'establishment', rather than realise it’s not about us and them, we’re all in this together.” 

Dr Norton, also founder and managing director of Respond Global, was speaking ahead of the Rotary Ireland Virtual Conference 2021, which takes place on March 6 and will be streamed live from Youghal.

The day-long conference will feature a range of speakers including Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, Darina Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery, and Dr Ide deLargy, covering a diverse range of topics including food and sustainability, transgender diversity and inclusion, mental health, climate change, and history.