Covid-19 in South Africa: Perceptions of the virus and vaccine readiness

To better understand the impact of Covid-19 on families and communities, as well as barriers to Covid-19 vaccination uptake, Pact South Africa worked with the Department of Social Development (DSD) to conduct a qualitative assessment. Findings are contributing to the ongoing response, including vaccine rollout efforts. Pact has worked closely with the DSD since 2013, under the Government Capacity Building and Support (GCBS) project. The vaccine readiness assessment had three aspects: understanding community-level perceptions about Covid-19, the pandemic’s psychosocial impacts, and knowledge of the vaccines plus potential barriers to and opportunities for vaccine uptake.