The NSW and federal governments can improve their communication of crucial information during the pandemic, former University of Newcastle media lecturer Paul Scott says.
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Mr Scott said the public had cut governments and health bureaucracies "a lot of slack" during the pandemic because of its difficult, ongoing nature.
"But I think patience is starting to wear out," he said.
Hunter residents were left in limbo last week, after their bookings for Pfizer vaccines at the Belmont Vaccination Hub were cancelled.
Health officials stated that these bookings would be reinstated, but residents were left without access to crucial information.
NSW Health wouldn't say how many Pfizer vaccines were available at the Belmont Vaccination Hub, angering Hunter residents who had bookings cancelled.
"The health bureaucracies and government are not doing themselves any favours by not being open and transparent," Mr Scott said.
"That makes people cross when we don't know what the truth is."
The lack of information raised fears among residents, such as Merewether's Cathy Olds, a diabetic who had her Pfizer shots cancelled at the Belmont hub.
"It makes your anxiety worse and it makes you even more suspicious," she said.
Mr Scott said it was "cruel to leave people hanging".
"Come out and tell the truth. And if you don't know, say you don't know and you'll do your best to find out," he said.
When Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced last Thursday that more Pfizer jabs were on the way, residents and politicians again highlighted the need to clearly inform people about the details.
Mr Scott said a lack of clear and easily available information, "provides a fertile field for conspiracy theories, suspicion and mistrust to occur".
Chad Griffith, senior electorate officer for Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery, said it was important for authorities to release information in a variety of ways.
The Prime Minister and health authorities have released some important public information only on Facebook.
Mr Griffith said Facebook's algorithm posed problems for releasing important information to the public.
He said Facebook "pushes down or limits the reach" of some posts related to COVID-19 to reduce the spread of misinformation.
"When you're putting up what should be very important information to get out there, it certainly isn't reaching the heights that other posts on social media do."
The manipulative nature of Facebook's algorithm means some people don't see posts from particular pages. Facebook likes to decide what people see, while encouraging them to use its platform as much as possible.
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Mr Griffith noted that constantly checking for health information on Facebook wasn't particularly healthy.
Mr Scott said the government should be using a variety of channels to release consistent information.
"There are still people - believe it or not - who get their information through things other than social media.
"Using social media, in some ways, you're not putting yourself to the questioning of journalists. I don't think that's a good thing."
While NSW Health's website has a lot of COVID-related data, it can be difficult for people to navigate and find clear and concise information related to their area.
Mr Scott said NSW Health should have a one-stop-shop website "for all things relating to COVID in NSW".
He said the Bureau of Meteorology was a good example of what could be done. "You can go to the national weather and break it down into states, cities and regions. All the information is there".
NSW Health was contacted for comment.
