SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health on Wednesday announced a new public education campaign to better connect with Californians who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and to address questions and concerns they have with the vaccine and immunity.

Launched under the state’s Vaccinate ALL 58 effort, the “Let’s Get to ImmUnity” integrated media campaign is one part of the state’s Five-Part Plan for Vaccination Equity.

The goal is to offer answers and reassurance that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and our greatest tool to end the pandemic and move all of our lives forward again.

The campaign is part of a broader $40 million effort that includes radio, print, TV, and billboards, with a focus on multicultural and multilingual media outlets.

“California won’t crawl back from this pandemic, we will roar back, and central to our success will be vaccinating those who are the most vulnerable,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

“With the launch of this campaign, we are underscoring our commitment to equity and reminding Californians that the best vaccine is the first one available when it’s your turn,” he said. “They’re safe. They’re lifesaving. And they’ll help us collectively defeat this virus.”

The effort will also include digital advertising, including native advertising, search, paid social media advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and an influencer campaign on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube focused on doctors, nurses and other health professionals educating people on the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Non-health influencers will also be included to appeal to a wide range of Californians, with an emphasis on communities with high levels of hesitancy.

“The quicker we get to immunity, the quicker we will put this pandemic in the rearview mirror so we can enjoy more everyday activities without the concerns we’ve experienced in the past year,” said Tomás Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer.

“This campaign reinforces the confidence medical and public health experts have in the three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines that are now available for Californians and helps map our path forward to we can all get back to seeing our family and friends, go to school and work and participate in sports,” said.

“Let’s Get to ImmUnity” radio ads have been running in multiple languages since the second week of March. The first TV ad begins airing in English and Spanish on March 22. The ads encourage Californians to stay informed on vaccine availability by signing up for My Turn notifications at myturn.ca.gov or by phone at 833-422-4255.

“Every Californian should have the utmost confidence that all three approved COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective,” said California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris.

“As we look ahead as a state to the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s going to require all of us who are able to receive the vaccine to be vaccinated so we can get to community immunity,” Burke Harris said. “California’s commitment to equitable vaccine distribution and outreach ultimately protects everyone. Making sure vaccines are accepted in our communities with the highest rate of spread is the fastest way to end this pandemic, and it’s simply the right thing to do.”

The “Let’s Get to ImmUnity” campaign will reach California’s diverse communities that speak Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Punjabi, Khmer and Hmong.

To ensure CDPH is reaching the hardest-hit communities, additional focus is placed on geographic areas in the bottom quarter of the Healthy Places Index (HPI), mirroring the state’s recent announcement to increase vaccine supply in these communities.

There will also be specific digital and social tactics to engage specific groups, including Latino English-speaking, API English-speaking, American Indian, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.

Along with media outreach, the “Let’s Get to ImmUnity” campaign will also provide a new look to California’s VaccinateALL58.com website starting March 22, which will be available at least eight languages, to offer a space for Californians to get further educated about COVID-19 vaccines before signing up for My Turn.

The public education campaign is an important part in the state’s Five-Part plan for equitable vaccine administration.

The other parts of the plan include:

* Allocating 40 percent of the state’s vaccines to the lowest 25 percent of ZIP codes based on the Public Health Alliance of Southern California’s Healthy Places Index, and reserving appointments for priority populations through My Turn

* Creating a Statewide Vaccine Network with a Third Party Administrator (TPA) to include appropriate access in disproportionately impacted communities and supplements this access with evening/extended hours, transportation services, translation services, home-bound services, mobile vaccine services, and physical accessibility features at vaccination events, for example.

* Leveraging the work Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have been doing to provide critical services and information to Californians during the pandemic, the state has partnered with philanthropic organizations to support the work of 337 CBOs with $52.7 million in grants.

* Using data analytics to accurately allocate vaccines, My Turn will be the lynchpin of the state’s efforts to understand the demographics of vaccine recipients. The TPA will perform real-time data analytics to understand how the doses administered in certain zip codes compare to the age and sector prioritization framework that will be reviewed by health equity experts to adjust and intensify targeted efforts and resource allocations.