Local celebrities may be the most effective public messengers to encourage COVID-19 vaccination in their communities, according to a July 11 opinion piece published in Scientific American.
The piece was written by three members of Tempe-based Arizona State University's working group on disinformation.
The authors highlighted three successful examples of local celebrities' efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy: the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium's work in Philadelphia, clergy members' work to encourage vaccination among their congregations and social media influencers' partnerships with local health departments and marketing firms.
People are often more comfortable taking advice from members of their own community than mega-stars. Because of this, the authors encouraged local media outlets to spread the word about local celebrities' efforts to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations so that Americans can "understand that their own friends and neighbors are doing the right thing for themselves and their communities."