SunStar Editorial: Countering vaccine fear Is it safe? Citizens express deeply held anxieties and fears about vaccination against Covid-19, needs that must be addressed by the authorities and other stakeholders through community-based information, education and communication. (SunStar file) + December 20, 2020 THE focus for public health should be two-pronged: reinforcing the public’s observance of safety protocols to prevent a surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) during the holidays and conducting a vaccination program to inform, educate and involve citizens in what may be the most crucial health advocacy of our time. An information, education and communication (IEC) link underlies the successes and failures encountered by communities and governments in containing and even eliminating the pandemic. Topping the Covid Resilience Ranking of Bloomberg as of Nov. 23, New Zealand relied on border control, testing, contact tracing and centralized quarantine strategy to recreate a “world without Covid.”