Tackling COVID-19 Fear and Stigma

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In Burkina Faso, the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a variety of reactions among some Ouagadougou residents that have complicated efforts for a timely response. Hesitancy to get tested, avoiding contact tracers, or wariness of what the neighbors will say are some of these reactions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with the government to provide guidance to tackle stigma as well as support other aspects of the COVID-19 response, which is further explained in this article.

Source: Tackling COVID-19 Fear and Stigma

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    COVID-19: Insights on Face Mask Use Global Review

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    This report looks at behaviors and perceptions around the use of face masks. It uses the latest available survey responses for each country between May 14th and June 4th, 2020. All responses have been aggregated to offer a global view of key insights related to COVID-19 and face mask use.

    Source: COVID-19: Insights on Face Mask Use Global Review

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      Gender & COVID-19

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      This website is the product of an international committee that brings together academics who conduct real time gender analysis to identify and document the gendered dynamics of COVID-19 and gaps in preparedness and response.

      The international multi-disciplinary team has a goal of advancing comparative gender-analysis of the outbreak to date with the aim of developing knowledge to mitigate against negative downstream effects of global public health policies created in response to the pandemic.

      Source: Gender & COVID-19

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        COVID-19 Behaviour Tracker

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        This site tracks global behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

        The site tracks how people across the world are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The global survey, launched in partnership with YouGov (UK) the first week of April, is collecting fortnightly data from 29 countries to explore the public’s attitudes and health behaviors as the situation evolves.

        Through this survey they are monitoring how compliant individuals are with COVID-19 safety measures, such as self-isolation and avoiding unnecessary travel. They are also looking into a range of other relevant behaviours and measures, from hygiene to quality of life.

        Source: COVID-19 Behaviour Tracker

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          COVID-19 and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

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          This is a living document outlining the current evidence on GBV during COVID-19 as well as innovative solutions and recommendations for organizations to integrate GBV support into their COVID-19 response. It makes recommendations to be considered by all sectors of society at the onset, during, and after the public health crisis with examples of actions already taken.

          Source: COVID-19 and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls

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            COVID-19: Rethinking Risk

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            This article explains that an increased understanding of risk factors, including the effects of social determinants and their interplay, provides an opportunity to target mitigation strategies and helps to allay the popular misconception that everyone is at equal risk of severe illness.

            As the authors note, it is time to evolve from a one-size-fits-all approach to one that centres on those most at risk. This will need to happen at both the individual and community level.

            Source: COVID-19: Rethinking Risk

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              Comprehensive Sexuality Education to Address Gender-based Violence

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              The COVID-19 pandemic has unmasked underlying inequities. Measures such as lockdown and physical distancing have confined many people to isolated, unsafe places that may increase risk of gender-based violence (GBV).

              f lockdowns or restricted movement continue for just a year, it is estimated there will be 61 million more cases of GBV than what would have already been expected In response to this increase, UN Women launched the Shadow Pandemic public awareness campaign in May, 2020.2 Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General has called for countries to include GBV prevention as a component of COVID-19 recovery plans.

              UN Women emphasises vital national responses to address violence against women and girls (VAWG) throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and these responses could serve as useful entry points for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) provision in the Arab region. VAWG regional responses include provision of shelters, telephone hotlines, and online counselling; strong messaging from law enforcement that violence against women and girls (VAWG) cases are high priority; and psychological support for women and girls, GBV survivors, and front-line health workers affected by both the COVID-19 and shadow pandemics.

              Source: Comprehensive Sexuality Education to Address Gender-based Violence

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                Infographic: The Shadow Pandemic – Violence Against Women and Girls and COVID-19

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                This infographic illustrates how, since the outbreak of COVID-19, violence against women and girls (VAWG), and particularly domestic violence, has intensified.

                As stay-at-home orders expand to contain the spread of the virus, women with violent partners increasingly find themselves isolated from the people and resources that can help them. The surge in COVID-19 cases is straining even the most advanced and best-resourced health systems to the breaking point, including those at the front line in violence response. The infographic offers several actions to alleviate the situation.

                Source: Infographic: The Shadow Pandemic – Violence Against Women and Girls and COVID-19

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                  The Public’s Role in COVID-19 Vaccination: Planning Recommendations Informed by Design Thinking and the Social, Behavioral, and Communication Sciences

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                  This report considers human factors in relation to future vaccines against COVID-19, drawing on insights from design thinking and the social, behavioral, and communication sciences. It provides recommendations—directed to both US policymakers and practitioners, as well as nontraditional partners new to public health’s mission of vaccination—on how to advance public understanding of, access to, and acceptance of vaccines that protect against COVID-19.

                  The report offers several recommendations for enhancing acceptance of vaccines:

                  • Put people at the center of a revolutionary SARS-CoV-2 vaccine research enterprise
                  • Understand and inform public expectations about vaccine benefits, risks, and supply
                  • Earn the public’s confidence that vaccine allocation and distribution are evenhanded
                  • Make vaccination available in safe, familiar, and convenient places
                  • Communicate in meaningful, relevant, and personal terms, crowding out misinformation –
                  • Establish independent representative bodies (i.e., public oversight committees) to instill public ownership of the vaccination program

                  Source: The Public’s Role in COVID-19 Vaccination: Planning Recommendations Informed by Design Thinking and the Social, Behavioral, and Communication Sciences

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                    An Exploration of How Fake News is Taking over Social Media and Putting Public Health at Risk

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                    This article reports on a small study which attempted to identify the types and sources of COVID‐19 misinformation.

                    The authors identified and analysed 1225 pieces of COVID‐19 fake news stories taken from fact‐checkers, myth‐busters and COVID‐19 dashboards.

                    The study concludes that the COVID‐19 infodemic is full of false claims, half backed conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific therapies, regarding the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, origin and spread of the virus. Fake news is pervasive in social media, putting public health at risk. The scale of the crisis and ubiquity of the misleading information require that scientists, health information professionals and journalists exercise their professional responsibility to help the general public identify fake news stories. They should ensure that accurate information is published and disseminated.

                    Source: An Exploration of How Fake News is Taking over Social Media and Putting Public Health at Risk

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