It is important to tailor discussions about the COVID-19 vaccine to the individuals, communities and populations that we serve. The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table has provided some guidance about how to build vaccine confidence in communities to help inform, reassure, and engage communities in accepting the COVID-19 vaccine. One example of tailoring COVID-19 vaccine discussions comes from The Black Physicians of Ontario (BPAO) who have some recommendations to enhance capability, opportunity, and motivation for vaccination.

The table below is an excerpt from Table 4 in: Behavioural Science Strategies to Support Vaccination Uptake with the Black Scientists’ Taskforce in Toronto Used as a Case Study: A snapshot example of suggestions to address barriers and enablers of Opportunity.

Vaccination Uptake Barriers/Enablers	Principle	Behavioural Science Suggestions	Cases Study Example of Black Scientists’ Taskforce
Opportunity
Difficult to get time off for vaccination. Precarious essential work. Clinic location and hours. Booking systems difficult to navigate and complete correctly.	Principle 1: Make booking and attendance easier by maximizing the use of accessible and convenient locations, times, and days of the week. Support flexible work hours and paid time off to encourage uptake.	Building relationships and trust in the community by creating vaccination sites in safe community spaces during off-work hours that are accessible, staffed by trained individuals, and offer community-specific supports. Essential workers who are unable to work from home should also be targeted for workplace vaccination. Accommodate with scheduling that meets their needs. Municipalities should support walk-in vaccinations with simplified registration requirements.	Ensure vaccines are set aside specifically for members of high-risk Black and racialized communities, given past history of Black-serving clinics running out of vaccines and having to close ahead of schedule.
Technological, transportation, and mobility barriers.	Principle 2: One size most certainly does not fit all. Enable multiple operational strategies to reach individuals who are homebound or uncomfortable with technology.	Outreach is crucial for increasing vaccine uptake in certain groups. Offer transportation services to clinics for people facing barriers. Mobile vaccination clinics. Race-based data gathering is critical for understanding and addressing racialized pandemic disparities in meaningful ways.	The Task Force recommended door-to-door vaccine distribution to individuals in communities with significant technological, transportation, and mobility barriers.

COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence in Ontario and Strategies to Support Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation Among at Risk Populations - Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (covid19-sciencetable.ca)

There will be other potential considerations for vaccine hesitancy in different communities. Another consideration may be how to accommodate religious beliefs. When counseling individuals about vaccinations, some individuals may request further clarification about ingredients or components to ensure permissibility for some faith groups. For example, some may inquire about animal-derived ingredients or components during vaccine development. Vaccines approved in Canada so far have no animal-derived ingredients or components derived from fetal cell lines. At other times, religious accommodation could also mean flexibility around timing of vaccination if an individual is choosing to practice acts of worship, such as fasting.

Religion, Trust, and Vaccine Acceptance. https://rsc-src.ca/en/voices/covid-19-vaccine-religion-trust-and-vaccine-acceptance Canadian Council of Imams and Fiqh Majlis of Canada. Vaccination Rulings and Issues. September 16, 2021. http://canadiancouncilofimams.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Vaccination-Rulings-and-issues.pdf

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