ROLE OF TELEVISION MEDIA ON DISSEMINATING COVID-19 VACCINATION INFORMATION IN NIGERIA
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ROLE OF TELEVISION MEDIA ON DISSEMINATING COVID-19 VACCINATION INFORMATION IN NIGERIA
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The alleged “coronavirus” is believed to be a zoonotic virus that causes acute respiratory tract infections and fatal pneumonia in humans (Probasco, 2020). It was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China’s capital of Hubei Province, and spread from animals to humans.
According to Probasco (2020), the novel coronavirus causes fever, cough, shortness of breath, and diarrhoea. The severity of the infections might result in pneumonia, renal failure, and death.
The severity of the illness prompted the World Health Organisation to declare it a global pandemic that has claimed many lives, prompting widespread concern and leading to many people’s anxiety (Zhou, 2020).
In light of this, Quinones (2020) believes that the effects on public and mental health, social institutions, and local and global economies have been immensely disruptive in almost every country.
While several attempts were taken to prevent and mitigate the virus’s spread, efforts were made to develop a vaccine for the devastating pandemic, which was completed in 2020. (Heyman, 2021).
The vaccination is intended to provide acquired immunity against the virus that causes COVID19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2).
According to Gwaha (2021), COVID-19 immunisation is an important factor in minimising the extent to which people become infected with the virus. Furthermore, television, a form of mass communication, had an important part in ensuring the effective dissemination, acceptance, and utilisation of the COVID-19 vaccine, as proposed by Ukpong (2021).
During pandemics, the media is often tasked with teaching, raising awareness, and informing the public, and television is no exception (Gever & Ezeah, 2020).
Similarly, Hanitzsch (2019) stated that during a pandemic, television serves as an educator, informing the people about health problems so that they are mentally prepared to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
Gever and Ezeah (2020) believe that coverage is the most effective way for television to communicate information and keep the people informed during a pandemic.
This was accomplished by regularly reporting on the health implications of COVID-19, advocating appropriate health practices, and recommending measures to aid in pandemic containment, as well as advertising the need for, availability of, and enrollment procedure for COVID-19 immunisation (Apuke & Tunca, 2019).
Furthermore, the television media, as proposed by Apuke and Tunca (2019), plays a role by providing extensive coverage of news, visual framing, and information on the pandemic and related vaccine needs.
Given the importance of television media in vaccine information transmission, as described above, it is critical to explore the role of television media in providing COVID-19 immunisation information in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China, and propagated mostly through human-to-human transmission. According to Tang (2021), the virus is most likely transmitted from person to person by close contact with infected people’s respiratory droplets, which are frequently created by sneezing and coughing.
Because of the virus’s aggressiveness, numerous control and prevention methods were devised and implemented (Chinn & Soroka, 2020). The COVID-19 vaccine, on the other hand, was designed to end the pandemic in humans.
The COVID-19 immunisation is crucial in reducing the spread of the virus. However, the vaccine’s goal would not have been achieved if mass media, such as television, had not been exploited for mass information dissemination (Engler, 2021).
According to Ukpong (2021), in order to keep the public informed, the media, along with healthcare staff, have worked hard to ensure the virus’s eradication and the usage of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In accordance with the foregoing, journalists have been on the front lines, reporting on cases, death tolls, and precautions that the general public should take to avoid contracting the virus, including the need for, availability of, and enrollment in the COVID-19 vaccine.
In addition to informing people about the pandemic, television media works to shape public opinion about the virus, its mode of transmission, and preventative measures that can help mitigate it, as well as the Covid-19 vaccine, given the amount of misinformation that has circulated on social media platforms.
In view of the foregoing, the study explores the influence of television media in communicating covid-19 immunisation information in Nigeria.
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