COVID-19 Testing and Tracing: Message Handbook

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For any testing and tracing strategy to work, we have to motivate people to act.

That’s why The Rockefeller Foundation launched the Testing & Tracing Message Handbook. This Handbook draws on insights from cognitive science, linguistics, focus groups and a nationally representative message-testing survey. It includes audience insights, tested language and science-based do’s and don’ts that public health officials can use to transform their communications.

This Handbook will be a living document, updated with new research and tailored messages as facts on the ground change. We’ll also be working closely with public health practitioners, to understand what they need to put the recommendations into action.

Source: COVID-19 Testing and Tracing: Message Handbook

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    COVID-19, Breastfeeding, Infant Feeding, and Breast Milk

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    This repository is compiled by the Johns Hopkins Center for Humanitarian Health and provides an overview of what peer-reviewed journal articles currently state on COVID-19, breastfeeding, infant feeding, and breast milk.

    As the pandemic is ongoing, more and more research results are published. With this service, the creators aim to provide the user with a snapshot of what is published with updates every two weeks.

    Source: COVID-19, Breastfeeding, Infant Feeding, and Breast Milk

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      Countering Stigmatization in the Humanitarian Response to COVID-19

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      Stigma related to mental health and COVID-19 can exacerbate pre-existing conditions or lead to new mental health and psycho-social problems for individuals, families, and communities.

      Many humanitarian crises affect people who are traveling or who are displaced and already experiencing significant stigmatization from the host communities where they reside. Host communities have often accused displaced populations of bringing crime and disease, leaving them isolated and more vulnerable to mental health and psycho-social problems. This can exacerbate negative perceptions of—and violence against—those who have or are believed to carry the virus.

      This report highlights key findings and recommendations outlined in a webinar and roundtable event hosted by the InterAction Protection Working Group in July 2020.

      Source: Countering Stigmatization in the Humanitarian Response to COVID-19

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        The COVID Tracking Project

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        The COVID Tracking Project is a volunteer organization launched from The Atlantic and dedicated to collecting and publishing the data required to understand the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.

        Every day, their teams collect data on COVID-19 testing and patient outcomes from all 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia. The dataset is currently in use by national and local news organizations across the United States and by research projects and agencies worldwide. Their data API (which allows sites and apps to import our dataset automatically) receives about two million requests per day.

        On April 15, they launched the COVID Racial Data Tracker, a partnership between the COVID Tracking Project and the Center for Antiracist Research that collects, publishes, and analyzes racial data on the pandemic within the United States.

        Source: The COVID Tracking Project

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          Vaccine Confidence: A Global Analysis Exploring Volatility, Polarization, and Trust

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          This study reports that there is growing evidence of vaccine delays or refusals due to a lack of trust in the importance, safety, or effectiveness of vaccines, alongside persisting access issues. Although immunization coverage is reported administratively across the world, no similarly robust monitoring system exists for vaccine confidence. In this study, vaccine confidence was mapped across 149 countries between 2015 and 2019.

          The study’s findings highlight the importance of regular monitoring to detect emerging trends to prompt interventions to build and sustain vaccine confidence.

          Source: Vaccine Confidence: A Global Analysis Exploring Volatility, Polarization, and Trust

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            Gearing Up for Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Communication

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            This article offers tips to prepare for effective COVID-19 vaccine communication.

            The tips are:

            • Resist the urge to overpromise.
            • Be honest about what we don’t know.
            • Stick to solid ground.
            • Build trust in the process.
            • Go back to basics.

            Source: Gearing Up for Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Communication

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              Three Lessons from the Global South on Combating the Pandemic

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              This article, by Dr Muhammad Musa of BRAC International, a Bangladesh-based NGO, states that top-down measures to curb the spread of the virus – dramatic steps like lockdowns and bans on large gatherings – pose an immediate threat to families in the poorest communities.

              He writes that the key to fixing this situation is community engagement and the involvement of local leaders.

              Source: Three Lessons from the Global South on Combating the Pandemic

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                COVID-19 Facilitator Guide

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                The Breakthrough ACTION Guyana COVID-19 Facilitator Guide is a set of cue cards that are used by community facilitators to conduct community meetings or one on one sessions with community members.

                The guide contains simple and important information about COVID-19 and helps the community facilitator in providing accurate information to the community.

                Source: COVID-19 Facilitator Guide

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                  Talking to Community: Behavioural Change in the Age of COVID-19

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                  Response to public health emergencies requires changes in regular behavioural patterns. Encouraging these changes requires coordination and an understanding of the culture and communities affected.

                  This article, written by Pramudith D. Rupasinghe, describes experiences with Ebola and COVID-19 wherein behavior change was an integral part of working with communities to prevent infection, care for the sick, and learn about the disease in Sri Lanka and Liberia.

                  Source: Talking to Community: Behavioural Change in the Age of COVID-19

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                    mHero App

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                    This app was developed during the Ebola crisis to help frontline health workers to keep u to date with the latest data and guidance, as well as keep a check on their own health.

                    Lessons learned from the Ebola response pointed to how fast, informative communication to frontline health workers and their immediate, precise case reporting helped tackle the health emergency. mHero was useful in engaging communities, managing rumors, and mitigating public health threats.

                    Given mHero’s origin, it is uniquely suited to fulfill communication needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mHero platform can be used for myriad government health communications needs, segmenting health workers into specific groups to:

                    • Coordinate health promotion strategies and public health emergency responses
                    • Train health workers on infection prevention and control and risk communication
                    • Test health worker knowledge of COVID-19 responses through mini-quizzes
                    • Report suspected COVID-19 cases and other high-priority diseases
                    • Relay unanticipated stock-outs of essential commodities such as sterile gloves, masks, and respirators
                    • Reveal local health and safety concerns, including mental health and physical risks

                    Source: mHero App

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