COVID-19 vaccine communication and advocacy strategy: a social marketing campaign for increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in South Korea.

Research evidence suggests that communication is a powerful tool for influencing public opinion and attitudes toward various health-related issues, such as vaccine reluctance, provided it is well-designed and thoughtfully conducted. In particular, social marketing techniques that alter the target audience's behaviors for the public good can substantially improve vaccine uptake if adopted as a communication strategy in immunization programs to counter public hesitancy. This study presents evidence from the Korean government's current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination campaign, which successfully applied a social marketing approach. By the end of August 2022, South Korea had achieved high vaccine coverage, with 94.8% of the population (12+) receiving a second dose, 71.3% a third dose, and a fourth dose drive currently underway. There are five crucial factors to consider when preparing official communication for an immunization program: (i) a high degree of proactiveness, (ii) credibility, (iii) fighting misinformation, (iv) emphasizing social norms and prosocial behavior, and (v) coherence. Although using social marketing strategies may not be successful in all circumstances, the lessons learned and current implementation in Korea suggest their efficacy in fostering vaccine acceptance. This study offers valuable insights for government agencies and global public health practitioners to develop effective targeted campaign strategies that enhance the target population's vaccination intention.

Six Pivotal Lessons Learned in South Korea for Whole-of-Government Approach to Successful COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in Planetary Health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored that systems medicine depends on health systems and services that can respond to planetary health threats in scale and with speed. After 2 years of the pandemic, there are lessons learned in South Korea, from governance to risk communication for planetary health. The learning is timely because COVID-19 likely signals future ecological crises and emerging pathogens amid the climate emergency in the 21st century. By the end of March 2022, South Korea, with a population of 51.6 million, administered more COVID-19 vaccine doses per 100 people than other developed countries, including United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Israel, Germany, and United States. In South Korea, 233.47 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered per 100 people, while Italy (229.48), China (229.39), Australia (217.44), the United Kingdom (211.39), Israel (194.82), and the United States (170.59) fell behind in vaccine rollout. Korea's whole-of-government approach to robust COVID-19 vaccination rollout prompted broad interest in planetary health. Notwithstanding that vaccine rollout is a complex multifactorial outcome, six salient, and often interdependent, factors are identified in this study of South Korea: (1) governance system; (2) logistic capability; (3) delivery strategy and accessibility; (4) established public health infrastructure; (5) risk communication; and (6) public cooperation and engagement. Integration of these factors can create multisectoral synergy to achieve better outcomes in vaccine rollout. The lessons from South Korea can help cultivate planetary health action in other parts of the world during the current COVID-19 pandemic, and in ecological crises in the future.