The Turnstone: talking about vaccines #4
Finally, it’s time to talk facts about Covid-19 and vaccination
Welcome to The Turnstone: talking about vaccines. This newsletter contains resources to help you have kind and non-judgemental conversations with people who are uncertain about, or opposed to, vaccination. You can sign up and have future newsletters emailed directly to you.
Today, I share some sources of factual information that you can direct people to once they’re at a point of needing evidence.
If you've been following the information I've shared over the last week, you'll know that dumping a pile of facts on people isn't helpful. Nevertheless, there comes a time when you need reliable sources of information to help you answer genuine questions.
Today's resources are aimed at helping you answer those questions. These aren't the only sources of good quality information, but they are some of the ones that I think are particularly useful. I have started with the simplest resources and moved on through to those that are more complex to understand.
Quick videos from New Zealand's official Covid-19 website (2 minute videos)
These videos contain very basic information about Covid-19 and vaccination. They're a good starting point for someone with no knowledge about viruses or vaccines.
NZ Vaccine Facts | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)
Mythbusters from the World Health Organisation (each point is a 20 second read)
The problem with mythbusting is that you can inadvertently reinforce the myth if you restate it as you argue against it. The World Health Organisation mythbusting page manages to cover a great selection of myths without restating them, so it's a good place to refer people who may have picked up misinformation.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters
Vaccine information site from Stuff (average read about 3 minutes)
The following page has short, expert-checked articles on many aspects of Covid-19 vaccination. It's a great resource for people who want a bit more information, but not too much.
The Whole Truth: Covid-19 Vaccination (stuff.co.nz)
Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris collection about Covid-19 and vaccination (average read about 5 minutes)
Throughout the pandemic, the information from Siouxie Wiles, illustrated by Toby Morris, has been excellent. The first link is to their whole collection, but I've also picked out a couple that are particularly useful.
The bumper Toby Morris & Siouxsie Wiles Covid-19 box set | The Spinoff
Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: How the Pfizer vaccine for Covid-19 works (4 minute read)
Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris: How the world sped to the Covid vaccine summit (5 minute read)
In depth
Discussion panel from New Zealand doctors (1 hr 30 minutes)
This online discussion covers many of the questions people have about the safety and effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccines. The experts are speaking from a Christian perspective and there's more of a Māori focus, but they do a great job of answering points that are of interest to everyone.
Your local epidemiologist (average read about 5 minutes)
I wouldn't normally recommend someone's personal site as an authoritative source, but I've been following the work of Katelyn Jetelina for nearly a year now, and I've found it very helpful. Although her articles aren't long, they are very specific. For example she might write a summary of one meeting of the USA's Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices. If you want an in-depth understanding of the pandemic numbers, her site (on Substack, like mine) is really helpful.
Your Local Epidemiologist (substack.com)
On Wednesday, I will be sharing resources about misinformation and disinformation, and how to have those really difficult conversations with people who are following conspiracy theories. I will also have more details on a workshop I’ll be running on the afternoon of Sunday the 26th of September.
Do you know someone who would find this information useful? Why not send it to them.
Let me know what you think in the comments box below.
