Making vaccination sexy: A princely pic does the trick - Stuff.co.nz

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Kensington Palace via AP

In a picture tweeted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Britain's Prince William receives his coronavirus vaccine in London last Tuesday.

OPINION: How do you make vaccinations sexy?

A hell of a challenge that Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) pulled off last week when Prince William blew us out of the water with the picture of his bulging biceps at his first vaccination.

Call me shallow but the storm on Twitter about ‘William’s guns’ actually made me refocus on vaccinations.

Publicity of William’s first jab was the NHS’ way of using influencers to get people to take the plunge.

Personally, I reckon he’d worked out for weeks before he exposed those guns to the entire world.

Hilariously, the Twitterati talk swung from those swooning over his bulging arm to the testosterone-filled chap’s bicep bragging.

I’ve been vexed about how little I knew about vaxing, as the only information I seemed to have came from the rhetoric of friends and colleagues.

Until I discovered my significant other had lobbed the vaccination brochure into the recycling bin, claiming it was vague. That made me wonder how you’re all managing to find the details you need.

My very unscientific poll on my Facebook page showed that some friends had got off their butts and found out what was going on. Others were completely ‘chill’ in their ignorance, assuming someone would call them up for a jab at some time. Some simply ranted about the poor communication.

Information comes at us from all angles: a blast of radio news; a scroll through a media app; flyers; posters; the opinions of friends and family. A massive jumble of fact and opinion eventually helping us form a view.

The international news mixes in with all this information too. Blood clots? Which vaccine is this? Slow rollouts and criticism.

Vaccination has always been a touchy subject, but the conversation takes on a whole new angle when we’re talking about jabs straight out of the lab and the health of the entire globe.

There is Max down at the pub who’s holding off as he’s not planning to travel and Steven at work, who’s lining up as he’s desperate to get back offshore. There are women of child-bearing age who are understandably paranoid and Gran and Grandad old enough to be afraid if they don’t.

I compare the communication with the lockdown last year, which was clear and forthright with daily updates. That, of course, required compulsory action. Vaxing, in contrast, is voluntary.

The message is also not as clear as going home and staying there. It’s complicated.

Firstly, it’s a first. No-one has ever rolled a vaccination programme out this fast.

Secondly, we’re assessing two different things: the probability we’ll get Covid, and the probability we’ll have a bad reaction.

Overseas governments are learning to build trust but also find advocates the public have faith in.

Hence Prince William and his taut ‘guns’.

Evidently crusading Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is also picked as a vax influencer. Crazy to think you’d listen to a royal or a football player about your health.

Supplied

A picture of Prince William’s bicep as he got his first Covid jab inspired Cas Carter to “talk to my trusted friends” about vaccination.

Something as important as information about vaccines needs to be absolutely everywhere we are, but the bottom line is still trust. Vaccines will only work if people take them, and people only take vaccines if they trust them.

And trust comes through being informed, particularly by those we most value.

So well done Prince William and your biceps. You inspired me to talk to my trusted friends.

It then took about two minutes to get onto a website, do a survey, find out my group and know when I’ll hear more.

And I didn’t even have to get off my butt or flex a bicep.

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