Risk communication for public health through Twitter by the Peruvian government during the COVID-19 pandemic; Comunicación de riesgos para la salud pública a través de Twitter por parte del gobierno peruano en tiempos de COVID-19

Abstract

Risk communication provides mechanisms for governments to transmit relevant information regarding public health to the population during times of crisis and social instability. The present research aims to analyze risk communication by the Peruvian government towards the population during the first three waves of COVID-19 through the social media platform Twitter. Using a qualitative and documentary approach, the study found that the Peruvian government placed emphasis on communicating the importance of vaccination and prevention measures against infection. The significance of this type of communication allowed the population, particularly those with greater access to the internet, to openly express their willingness to dismiss false and misleading information about COVID-19, leading to a broad and rapid vaccination process against the disease. © 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.