Pandemic Playbook Posts

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

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.

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

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

COVID-19 pandemic has put such demands on the modern healthcare system that it has never had to deal with. This experience is likely to profoundly transform the system and people's health attitudes and practices. While a large part of healthcare services may be delivered virtually or through community outreach in the future, healthcare facilities are also likely to undergo a massive transformation. The pandemic has exposed the inadequacies and fragilities in the design of hea

The 21st century’s first pandemic has exposed gaps in the entire healthcare system, be it the upstream functions surrounding stocks and supplies or the downstream service delivery. Every stakeholder within the healthcare system is grappling to respond as fast and as best as they can. Healthcare service providers which include physicians, community workers, clinics, and hospitals have formed the frontline fighting the battle. But over years, be it Ebola, MDR-TB, Zika, though t

Monitoring and Self-quarantining A huge challenge from the beginning of the pandemic has been monitoring and self-quarantining. If a person had recently come in contact with someone who had travelled to affected places or they had a recent history of extensive travel themselves, they were to take extra care in monitoring themselves and self-quarantine in cases of risky travel history. Despite warnings from authorities, we saw a lot of cases where at risk citizens did not take

Testing and contact tracing are the tip of the spear in the fight against COVID-19. While other strategies to check the spread, such as social distancing, hygiene and use of masks are generalized and require universal action, which is difficult to achieve, testing and contact tracing are targeted and action required is centralized and therefore easier. A key challenge for countries with community transmission has been to rapidly ramp up their testing capacities, and countries

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

Public recreational spaces including parks, beaches, playgrounds, community centers etc. play a very important role in the social life of communities. They have also been studied as a shared resource in which experiences and value is created by the community. They provide opportunities for social interaction, social mixing and social inclusion and contribute to community building and development of strong community ties. Parks and beaches are generally used by the local commu

Rapidly changing behaviors while exiting lockdown Repetition of tasks over decades reduced our risk perception towards many daily activities - like driving or crossing roads. However, the recent pandemic pushed us to perceive risk towards otherwise normal activities much more carefully. But these forced evaluation of risks are likely to be very temporary and associated perceptions can jump back to previous levels too quickly. Here is where leaving lockdown, even in a phased m

Tight small spaces with tin roofs, multiple family members including senior citizens housed in a cramped 200 sq ft space, narrow lanes, communal spaces and a raging virus. At a time, when physical distancing is being seen as the only possible counter to the Corona Virus pandemic, across the world, people in low income settlements are struggling to bring in distance in their interactions. Along with abject material poverty, migrant and wage labor status and a weak social safet

Physical Distancing has become a key requirement to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. But it has been challenging for many societies and countries to observe it to the tee, given the human tendency to underestimate the risk and chance of infection. As coping fatigue develops, especially in nations where the lockdown has been extended, it becomes very important to frame and communicate messages about physical-distancing in a way that motivates people to stay compliant to

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

We are in need of a new set of norms around wearing masks in public. Mask wearing has already been established as a norm in many East Asian countries for a variety of purposes - epidemics, air pollution, flu season as well as coping with allergies. Masks have come to symbolize solidarity and are perceived as a collective responsibility, especially with the saliency of epidemics such as SARS. There are several beliefs that have delayed the adoption and adherence of mask wearin

Experts and policy makers initially advised against mask usage to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but many came around to it subsequently, after significant costs of the delay, in terms of infections and fatalities, had already been incurred. For example, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention originally advised the public against wearing masks during the covid-19 pandemic, but this advice was updated to extend to general public as well. The World Health Organizati

Long-term lockdown and shelter in place orders take their toll on us all. Leadership needs to provide feedback not just on the number of cases and deaths, but also in relation to the effects of the shelter in place and lockdowns. Individuals cannot gauge whether their efforts, which come at a personal cost, are working in the fight against COVID-19. Individuals need to know how and if these individually demanding efforts are affecting the fight against COVID-19 in order to b

The majority of us are facing long periods of lockdowns and shelter in place orders. This abrupt shift to a new normal takes a toll on all of us with its initial challenges, yet it continues to shift and evolve as we begin to experience coping fatigue with no clear end in sight. Astronauts and scientists in isolated research stations, alone or with their small teams, provided examples of what worked for them during their extended period of time away from their routines, famil