Pandemic Playbook Posts

The Pandemic Playbook is currently under construction. New content, format and organization will continue to be created and refined.

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Loud and Clear: Combatting Biases in Communicating Risk

Aug 17, 2020
6 min

Loud and Clear: Combatting Biases in Communicating Risk

As many parts of the world are in stages of reopening, there are varying attitudes concerning individual and societal risk. The issue of communicating risk to the population is difficult on several levels: many are growing accustomed to the new state of being, are doubtful of the risk to themselves or simply do not have the means to take the precautions. There are several psychological phenomena that are at the heart of many of the decisions being made concerning personal ris

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Navigating Ambiguity: Maintaining Trust Despite Changing Guidelines

Aug 7, 2020
3 min

Navigating Ambiguity: Maintaining Trust Despite Changing Guidelines

As much relating to the coronavirus is still unknown, there has been changing information as related to safety guidelines, modes of transmission and vaccination timelines (amongst other issues). The realities of dealing with the novel coronavirus and emerging information has caused confusion and in some cases distrust in leaders. In this section we will explore the behavioral mechanisms used when navigating ambiguity and methods for effective communication in uncertain times.

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Behind the Curve: Understanding and Preparing for Exponential Growth

Aug 7, 2020
3 min

Behind the Curve: Understanding and Preparing for Exponential Growth

Following the growth of the pandemic is absolutely essential for those charged with the task of planning for the future of their communities. This role can include but is not exclusive to government officials, hospital administrative workers, health care providers, school administrators and individuals who want to track the daily growth of the pandemic. Difficulties in understanding timing particularly arise due to the logarithmic models behind epidemiology, especially expone

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Sustenance of Hand and Respiratory Hygiene Behaviors

Jul 24, 2020
5 min

Sustenance of Hand and Respiratory Hygiene Behaviors

It is not just COVID19, but respiratory infections like tuberculosis have long been the leading cause of illness, morbidity, and mortality across the world. The burden of respiratory tract infections has been estimated to contribute to more than four million deaths per year, with influenza infections accounting for an additional 250,000 to 500,000 deaths per year and a cost in the range of billions of dollars per year. Hygiene behaviors like cough etiquette and hand-washing h

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The Unending Cycle of Stigma and its role in a Patient's Journey

Jun 5, 2020
5 min

The Unending Cycle of Stigma and its role in a Patient's Journey

Stigmatization hinders health-seeking behavior, foments fear in patients suffering from the condition, causes prejudices against certain social groups, and can also lead to violence against the stigmatized groups. Multiple historical instances serve as the testament of stigma around many infectious diseases. After the outbreak of SARS, Chinese communities in New York's Chinatown were labeled as dangerous, diseased, and inferior. In the 1892 cholera epidemic, President Harriso

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Fatigue and coping with lockdown

May 5, 2020
3 min

Fatigue and coping with lockdown

Lockdown and Distancing Importance of physical distancing in a pandemic cannot be stressed enough, yet the act itself is very much against the basic nature of humans, resulting in a complex set of problems. For starters, it is relatively more difficult to obey rules imposed by others versus our own. This gets more challenging when new rules interfere with our personal space - likes of physical distancing and economic goals given we are social creatures engaged in continuous e

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