Marketing campaign targets ‘pandemic fatigue’
Kelly Miller said it’s a shame that more people aren’t taking the COVID-19 pandemic serious.
On Tuesday, Miller, a clinical nurse specialist at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland hospital, helped launch Oakland County’s “The Only Way To Beat It Is To Face It” marketing campaign, a three-week, federally-funded public education campaign targeting “pandemic fatigue” that will reinforce federal, state, and local health safety guidelines to include wearing face masks, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands.
“Pandemic fatigue” is the idea that as the pandemic continues to wear on, some people will get tired of taking the necessary coronavirus safety precautions to help slow the virus’ spread.
Miller said it’s concerning that some people still believe that the virus doesn’t affect young people or that it’s not real. She also understands that people are getting tired of following safety guidelines, but added “we have to be diligent because I fear that because of this season coming up, we’re going to have a surge on top of a surge” and that it’s going to be “devastating.”
“It’s very important to know that we still don’t know much about this virus,” she said. “It has only been around less than a year. What I’ve been seeing is that it’s random and unpredictable in how in affects one person to another.”
The campaign will be funded using $ 200,000 in federal CARES Act dollars and include public service announcements and outreach in print and on TV, radio, and digital platforms featuring celebrities and other community influencers.
In Oakland County, there have been 51,468 confirmed cases of COVID-19 1,354 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, according to MDHHS data. COVID-19 case and hospitalization rates have been increasing across the state in recent weeks prompting a new state health order, which has limited social gatherings and prohibited in person dining service and in person instruction at high schools and colleges statewide.
County Executive David Coulter said hope is on the horizon with a vaccine, but until then it’s only our actions that keep us safe, slow the spread of the virus, protect our health care workers and keep people alive.
“We’re all in this together, and the campaign strives to rally everyone behind the practical steps we must continue to take,” he said.
Coulter and Miller were joined Tuesday by Michael Spisz, a county commissioner who recently recovered from COVID-19; Leigh-Anne Stafford, county health officer; and Lomas Brown, Detroit Lions commentator and retired NFL player joined together Tuesday to make the announcement.
Spisz said he’s calling on all local leaders, including those in the business and faith communities, to model best behavior and encourage those they serve and interact with to do likewise.
On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Robert Gordon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services ( MDHHS), and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS chief medical executive, announced the extension of the state’s three-week epidemic order through at least Dec. 20.
State public health officials say more time is needed to observe the impacts of the Thanksgiving travel on COVID-19 spread across the state before considering a slow reopening of the state. The key reopening metrics being observed by those officials include: the COVID-19 case rate, number of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and the state’s testing positivity rate.