Government of Canada funds three new projects to encourage COVID-19 vaccination in Canada

OTTAWA, ON, July 20, 2021 /CNW/ - In the fight against COVID-19, it is critical that as many Canadians as possible get vaccinated. To close the gap among populations with lower vaccine uptake, the Government of Canada is promoting community-based projects to encourage every Canadian who wants a vaccine can get one.

Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced three new projects receiving funding through the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF) to support vaccination efforts across Canada. These community-based projects will support populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 make informed vaccination choices by crowding out misinformation and providing culturally relevant and science-based information.  

Alberta International Medical Graduates Association will receive funding to create multi-lingual educational supports, such as community-based forums, video resources, podcasts, on-site supports at pop-up clinics and workplace educational sessions, to ensure newcomers to Canada have up-to-date and credible vaccine information in their preferred language.

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc. will receive funding to support COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Winnipeg's urban Indigenous population by providing culturally responsive and evidence-based vaccination information in order to reduce misinformation and promote the importance of vaccinating against COVID-19.

Refugee 613 will receive funding to research, develop, and test evidence-based strategies to counter the impact of online COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on newcomers to Canada and racialized audiences. Research outcomes will be shared on a national scale with stakeholder groups and organizations working to address barriers and overcome vaccine hesitancy among newcomers to Canada.

The Government of Canada is working closely with experts, provinces and territories, and other partners to encourage vaccine confidence and better understand the barriers people may face to getting vaccinated. The IPF is one tool to help people in Canada make informed vaccine choices through community mobilization and public outreach.

Quotes

"The spread of misinformation can cause real harm and put our progress against COVID-19 at risk. We're providing Canadians with reliable, science-based information so they can make informed choices about vaccination. These projects are using tailored strategies to share credible and culturally relevant vaccine information with populations disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. By crowding out misinformation with community-based solutions, we can support vaccination efforts across Canada and protect more people?and communities? from COVID-19."

The Honourable Patty Hajdu 
Minister of Health 

Quick Facts

• The Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF) supports projects that improve access to vaccines and encourage vaccine acceptance and uptake.
• In 2020, as a response to Canada's COVID-19 vaccination efforts and building on the early momentum of the IPF, the Government of Canada invested an additional $64 million for projects to support COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Canada. This funding includes:
• $30.25 million for community-led projects to develop tailored, targeted tools and educational resources to raise awareness of, and confidence in, COVID-19 vaccines.
• $32.5 million to support provincial and territorial governments in enhancing their electronic vaccination registries to help monitor vaccine uptake.
• $1.3 million to amend existing funded projects to incorporate measures and activities to address COVID-19. 
• The IPF is one of several programs by the Government of Canada to work with communities to increase vaccine confidence and address barriers to getting vaccinated. This includes the Vaccine Community Innovation Challenge which will provide up to 140 grants for community-driven information campaigns to empower community leaders to spread the work on COVID-19 vaccines and public health measures. 
• The Ask the Experts campaign will run from June 15, 2021, to July 31, 2021. The ads will appear on TV, web sites, social media and in search engine marketing. Through a series of videos, the campaign answers a variety of questions such as the importance of getting the second dose of the vaccine, why people who are young and healthy need to get vaccinated, and how the vaccines work. 
• Through the IPF:
• Alberta International Medical Graduates Association will receive up to $500,000 for its project, Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Literacy and Acceptancy among newcomers.
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc. will receive up to $470,000 for its project, Protecting Our Future: Winnipeg Urban Indigenous Peoples.
• Refugee 613 will receive up to $500,000 for its project, Vaccination, Misinformation and Digital Media: Mobilizing Newcomer Information Practices for Effective COVID Communications.

Associated Links

Backgrounder: New Projects Funded Under the Immunization Partnership Fund
Immunization Partnership Fund
Vaccination and Immunization 
Canada.ca/Coronavirus 

SOURCE Public Health Agency of Canada