Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo Discusses Advertising Campaign Against Fear of the COVID-19 Vaccine

HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Harris County Public Health officials announced a new campaign on Thursday that was designed to address vaccine hesitation and urge residents to take additional measures to prevent spread of COVID-19.

“Get smart, do your part” will highlight the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

“We cannot wait until the supply chains reach the delay to deal with the vaccine hesitation, number one because it is a problem now and number two, the campaign will not work overnight,” said Hidalgo.

The campaign focuses on encouraging residents to take steps beyond wearing masks, social distance and hand washing, to include learning about vaccine safety and effectiveness, staying at home and canceling meetings. The campaign’s brand, “Get smart, do your part”It was chosen to highlight the role the community plays in helping the region finally recover sustainably from the pandemic and help our economy move again.

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The current phase of the campaign will focus on addressing vaccine hesitation, especially among communities of color in Harris County.

Hidalgo pointed to a recent national survey consisting of minority groups and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which showed that almost 40% of respondents would refuse vaccination if offered a Thursday or are undecided about whether they would accept to receive the vaccine at some point.

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“Each of us living in Harris County is interconnected and we can only achieve collective immunity if those who are still undecided about receiving COVID-19 take steps to protect themselves and their neighbors,” said Hidalgo. “People of color were hardest hit by this virus and it is worrying that research indicates that they are also the least likely to be vaccinated. Even as we wait for vaccine supply chains to catch up, we must lay the groundwork now to ensure that we are engaging residents who are hesitant or undecided about vaccine safety and efficacy so that they can remain smart and do their part. “

The $ 1 million multilingual advertising campaign includes a series of ads featuring doctors as trusted messengers of health information and asking residents to learn about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.

Judge Hidalgo’s office told KPRC2 that $ 1 million will be reimbursed with federal dollars under the CARES Act.