Truth and trust key to managing next pandemic
Communications expert says COVID-19 could be dress rehearsal for worse crisis
As devastating as the COVID-19 pandemic has been to grieving families and failed businesses, it may well be a dress rehearsal for something much worse.
Lessons learned about building trust and battling misinformation will be crucial to managing the next health crisis, which could be even more deadly than the SARSCoV2 virus, according to a new report analyzing the current state of health communications.
Complicating management of the current pandemic is a torrent of misinformation from self-appointed experts, scammers, and even elected leaders.
COVID-19 is the first pandemic of the social media era, said lead author Heidi Tworek.
“Social media dynamics have exacerbated the challenges of communications,” the report notes. Where messaging from public health officials is weak or confusing, alternative narratives sprout up very quickly.
“Misinformation around vaccines and masks has spread swiftly online,” the authors say. “One study estimated that nearly 800 people died after a rumour that drinking very concentrated alcohol would kill COVID-19.”
But Tworek is optimistic that advantages of social media might outweigh the chaos sown by trolls.
“It creates a whole host of opportunities, because you can reach people where they're at on a more granular level than ever,” she said. “For instance, the South Asian-Canadian community can be reached through a certain social media message that might be different than how you reach Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking people.”
The report identifies several core principles of effective public health messaging, all of which B.C.'s public health officer has used to great effect.
“People much prefer to be given things they can do to make a difference, (more) than a list of things they shouldn't do,” said Tworek.
B.C.'s communications plan has emphasized personal autonomy from the start by offering people advice on socializing safely and letting them decide how much risk to assume.
Simple slogans — such as Henry's “Be Calm, Be Kind, Be safe” and “Fewer Faces, Bigger Spaces” — were examples of clear communication that encourages personal responsibility.
Henry also discouraged scapegoating people who may not be able to comply with all the rules because, “We don't know everyone's story and ... all British Columbians are doing their best.”
For women who have experienced rape in which their attacker covered their mouth and nose, wearing a mask could “traumatize people who have suffered terrible things,” said Tworek.
Taking action for the collective good — such as wearing a mask when you shop — is a hard sell in individualistic societies, but it worked very well in New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea.
South Korea's president Moon Jae-in characterized public health measures as a three-legged race that “we are all running together and we don't want anyone left behind,” Tworek said.
While B.C. Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix, and Henry have got a lot right over the past nine months, they may have faltered at preparing people for November's surge in cases.
“This is a disease that spreads indoors, and now we're seeing surges in Europe and North America as winter approaches,” she said.
Critics on social media have also been quick to point out inconsistencies in public messaging, especially after Henry initially cast doubt on the effectiveness of masks and then revised her advice months later.
“People aren't generally acquainted with how science works, and that mask advice is going to change over time as scientists do experiments and learn more about the virus,” she said.
“There was some misunderstanding. Mask advice is evolving, and that's because scientists are doing their jobs. We should expect change.”
The longer the pandemic drags on, the more challenging it becomes to keep people engaged in protecting their neighbours, especially when the measures are inconvenient and socially isolating.
“In the coming months, democratic health communications will become ever more essential as citizens grow tired of restrictive measures and countries deal with the sparks and flames of COVID-19,” the authors note. “We have already seen individual and organized political resistance to lockdown measures, from local jurisdictions defying restrictions (Ukraine in March) to armed protests (Michigan in April),” they note, adding that Canada is hardly immune to pushback. “On Aug. 9, thousands of people marched in Montreal against mask mandates.”