International COVID-19 Awareness and Responses Evaluation Study

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Understanding people’s concerns about COVID-19, their perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes about public health policies, and how they impact what people are (and are not) willing to do will be important for informing policy strategy and how they are communicated, to ensure the best health and economic outcomes.

The iCARE Study will capture key data on people’s awareness, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to the COVID-19 policies, as well as the impacts that COVID-19 is having on people’s physical and mental health, financial situation, and quality of life.

Data from approximately 250,000 people around the world will be analyzed to understand what government policies are (and are not) influencing behavior and outcomes, and in whom these policies are most or least effective. This data can be used to inform governments on the efficacy of policy measures on both people’s behavior, and on key health and quality of life outcomes.

Source: International COVID-19 Awareness and Responses Evaluation Study

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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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      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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        Strategy Stop COVID-19 in 60 Days

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        A video outlining the strategy of L’Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire (L’ANSS) and partners (Breakthrough ACTION, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, and USAID) for the the stop COVID-19 campaign in 60 days.

        Source: Strategy Stop COVID-19 in 60 Days

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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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            COVID-19 Contact Tracing Online Course

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            The COVID-19 crisis has created an unprecedented need for contact tracing across the country, requiring thousands of people to learn key skills quickly. The job qualifications for contact tracing positions differ throughout the country and the world, with some new positions open to individuals with a high school diploma or equivalent.

            In this introductory course, students will learn about the science of SARS-CoV-2 , including the infectious period, the clinical presentation of COVID-19, and the evidence for how SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted from person-to-person and why contact tracing can be such an effective public health intervention. Students will learn about how contact tracing is done, including how to build rapport with cases, identify their contacts, and support both cases and their contacts to stop transmission in their communities.

            The course will also cover several important ethical considerations around contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine. Finally, the course will identify some of the most common barriers to contact tracing efforts — along with strategies to overcome them.

            Source: COVID-19 Contact Tracing Online Course

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              COVID-19 Care in India: The Course to Self-Reliance

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              The public health response to COVID-19 in India has been highly centralized, resulting in a homogenous strategy applied across a sixth of the world’s population.

              India was placed in a nationwide lockdown on March 24, 2020, with restrictions being relaxed in three phases since June. In May 2020, the prime minister called upon the Indian people to be self-reliant. The authors discuss opportunities to modify several aspects of the medical response to echo this sentiment.

              They conclude that what is still needed is a plethora of low-tech solutions (especially facial coverings), adherence to science, and societal participation in caring for vulnerable people.

              Source: COVID-19 Care in India: The Course to Self-Reliance

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                WHO Advice for Home-Based Care of COVID-19

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                This page includes guidance for the public on home-based care practices for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or those who have come in contact with others who have tested positive. It was originally published in March 2020 and then updated in August 2020.  This is the latest version.

                The updates include:

                • Considerations regarding the IPC requirements for the household to be suitable for caring for COVID-19 patients in the home
                • Clinical monitoring and treatment of COVID-19 patients at home
                • Waste management in the home setting in the context of COVID-19
                • An appendix on the effective implementation of home-care policies

                Source: WHO Advice for Home-Based Care of COVID-19

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                  Timeline: WHO’s COVID-19 Response

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                  This timeline tells the story of WHO’s response to COVID-19, starting from the end of December 2019 to the present day.

                  The timeline breaks information down into the following categories, and within these, by regions of the world:

                  • All actions
                  • Information
                  • Science
                  • Leadership
                  • Advice
                  • Response
                  • Resourcing

                  Source: Timeline: WHO’s COVID-19 Response

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                    Kenya National Communication and Community Engagement Strategy for Coronavirus

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                    The overall goal of this strategy is to effectively coordinate Kenyan national and county communications and community engagement activities to prevent the spread of the disease, build trust in the leaders and health workers to provide accurate information and essential services, and encourage communities’ active participation in supporting the risk reduction and response measures.

                    Specifically, the communication strategy is designed to enhance:

                    1. Coordination: Strengthen coordination and information management structures across government ministries (health, agricultural, ICT and more) and county governments as well as with development partners and private sector entities to promote an efficient and holistic approach to addressing the multifaceted impacts of the pandemic.
                    2. Effective Messages: Amplify key public health awareness messages and catalyze conversations with communities to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially for the highest risk groups, and ensure people still go to health facilities for essential services. In addition, mobilize formal and informal leaders to share accurate information.
                    3. Two-Way Communication: Promote two-way communication with communities to reduce fear, misconceptions, and stigma; to understand risk perceptions, knowledge gaps and provide accurate information tailored for diverse audiences and channels throughout the pandemic response period. These efforts will be crucial in supporting advocacy for responsive county and national efforts.
                    4. Health Worker Preparedness and Capacity: Ensure health workers and community health workers have the key information and tools to effectively provide accurate information in a way that is respectful of people’s fears, grief and other psychosocial concerns.
                    5. Monitoring, Evaluation and Research: Establish strong monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for measuring national, county and community levels outcomes.

                    Source: Kenya National Communication and Community Engagement Strategy for Coronavirus

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