Fake news and conspiracy theories risk to vaccine roll-out in Dudley – Stourbridge News

A community group has told how it is desperately trying to battle misinformation and fake news which is deterring Dudley people from taking the Covid vaccine.

Lye-based Turning Points Solutions say they have some people telling them Id rather go to my grave than take the vaccine.

Its a far-too-common attitude that the group also known as The Ladies Sunshine Club are trying to fight with a campaign of videos and building trust.

Turning Points, founded by Maimoona Qari, focuses on supporting women and families across Dudley borough.

Maz, as she is known, says they are battling low uptake of the vaccine in certain communities.

There is a lot of fear mongering, conspiracy theories and fake news.

Social media is being manipulated and is spreading a lot of fake stories. There is one which claims to show a young girl surrounded by a crying family after she collapses from the vaccine. But it turns out the girl was actually drunk and it has nothing to do with the vaccine.

Maz thinks the fake news is finding fertile ground among already disengaged communities, where there are language barriers and where trust in government particularly over the handling of the pandemic is low.

But it is fighting back with videos of its own, filmed in various languages, showing local community leaders and their families taking the vaccine, and trusted local doctors.

I sense things are turning around. As people have seen us and have been listening to our advice to take the vaccine they are tending to say, actually this must be safe.

Maz, a first Class honours Law graduate, originally began work at the Dudley Asian Womens Centre in 2000 and later set up the Turning Points social enterprise after starting her own family with the aim of supporting and campaigning for extra resources for local women and families.

Twenty years on she is as passionate about it as the day she started.

Her most common expression is empowering, and now there are six facilitators at Turning Points helping to provide online support to around 250 families through the pandemic with wellbeing activities for mothers and their children; emergency food help; free home schooling; English classes; exercise and fitness sessions; bereavement support and much else. They have been providing women from low incomes with free tablets to be able to get take part in online activities and alleviate loneliness.

She hopes that Covid can act as a turning point. Communities were already struggling but Covid has shown up those disparities. Now we need to make sure people are no longer suffering in silence, that their voice is heard.

She is working on a book of inspirational stories of womens experiences through the pandemic - including front line workers - and at the same time putting together online blogs and activities for International Womens Week in March.

For more information, go to: http://www.turningpoints.org.uk , or https://www.facebook.com/groups/2567043296887403/?ref=share

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Fake news and conspiracy theories risk to vaccine roll-out in Dudley - Stourbridge News