A new campaign has been launched to tackle the disproportionately slow uptake of Covid booster shots in culturally and linguistically diverse communities, which have a large presence in Logan.
The Department of Health has found people from the Hmong community, an indigenous east and south-east Asian group, have lower rates of Covid booster immunisation.
The ‘strengthening immunity in community’ initiative was consequently established in conjunction with local Hmong communities and LEXIGO, a translation and multicultural communication agency.
There are around 500 Hmong speakers in Logan and more than 5000 Hmong people across the country, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The LEXIGO immunity initiative was based on research that included a series of focus groups and aims to “encourage local Hmong speakers to prioritise Covid-19 vaccination uptake, protection, treatment, safety and support”, a LEXIGO spokesperson said.
“The findings showed that the Hmong community trusts the government’s Department of Health and Aged Care for COVID-19 information, along with local GPs from within the community being a reliable source,” the spokesperson said.
“The Hmong community is already motivated to protect themselves from the virus, with all participants having received a booster in the last 7-12 months, and regularly wearing masks.
“However, only half of the focus group respondents were likely or more than likely to receive a booster in the next six months, which highlights the importance of a community-led push to promote vaccination as key to staying safe.”
To encourage booster shot uptake, the immunity initiative features a series of Hmong health promotion and education material, which has also been created in other languages, including Arabic, Assyrian, Serbian, and Somali.
