Leader of WHO’s new pandemic hub: Improve data flow to extinguish outbreaks

Former Nigeria CDC leader Chikwe Ihekweazu talks with Nature about the COVID crisis, and strengthening global response to future public-health emergencies...

What are the biggest problems you hope to fix — and why do you want to solve them at the WHO?

‘I want to make the mechanics of reporting disease-related information easier, and also demonstrate that the WHO can use that data to help countries that share it. One way to do that is to enable countries to derive value from their own data.

‘I wouldn’t want to do this at a venue other than the WHO. I know that different countries are creating hubs, as are some big donors. They may be able to analyse publicly available data, but they won’t have the same access to information from countries that the WHO does. Speaking as the current director of the Nigeria CDC, I can tell you that I wouldn’t share my data openly with a hub located in another country. We share our data with the WHO without worry because the WHO belongs to us and other countries as a member-state organization, and has a mandate from countries to monitor health risks and coordinate the response in health emergencies.’

Read here (Nature, Sept 21, 2021)

Zoom and gloom: How empathy and creativity can re-humanise video conferencing

‘Sitting in a videoconference is a uniformly crap experience. Instead of corroding our humanity, let’s design tools to enhance it...

‘Looking back on my experience of videoconferencing, I still get an odd emotional pain. The feeling is a kind of shame. Not so much for my own wooden performance and the failure of the technology. But rather a feeling that we have all lost a bit of our humanity through it. My interest in these technologies is ethically motivated. I am not at all happy with the banal dehumanisation that results from bad videoconferencing experiences. If, for example, students and teachers can’t express their humanity in education, through its technologies, then we’re just not doing it right.

‘However, I’d like to think that this exploration of videoconferencing in contrast with other more humane experiences has provided some hope and indications of the way to go... That’s how designing works: incremental improvements based on insights drawn from experience. Let’s be optimistic, and keep designing to humanise tech, and using tech to learn about being better humans.’

Read here (Aeon, Dec 1, 2020)

What message will persuade people to take a vaccine?

‘Scientists are charging ahead to make a COVID-19 vaccine available, working out the challenging logistics of wide-scale production and distribution. Milkman is hopeful that the work of the BCFG team will, in turn, help more people take the vaccine. “Even if we get the supply chain issues right, even if we get every corner drugstore to someday be supplying these, we have to get them into arms in order for them to change the course of the pandemic,” she said. “And the messaging is going to be key to that.”

Read here (Knowledge@Wharton, Nov 24, 2020)

What strength really means when you’re sick

‘The metaphors that Trump and others use when talking about COVID-19 are making the pandemic worse... Equating disease with warfare, and recovery with strength, means that death and disability are linked to failure and weakness. That “does such a disservice to all of the families who have lost loved ones, or who are facing long-term consequences,” says Megan Ranney, an emergency physician at Brown University. Like so much else about the pandemic, the strength-centered rhetoric confuses more than it clarifies, and reveals more about America’s values than the disease currently plaguing it.’

Read here (The Atlantic, Oct 9, 2020)

Thailand had the world's first coronavirus case outside China. Here's how it avoided disaster

‘James Wise, a former Australian ambassador to the country and author of Thailand: History, Politics and the Rule of Law, said the Village Health volunteers were "enormously important". "The key factor is they were well prepared for it," Mr Wise said... "[The volunteers] work closely with the local communities and then once coronavirus comes along you've got an army of foot soldiers who can be quickly briefed on the coronavirus and then can go out into the communities, spread information, dispel misinformation and check people's symptoms. And that's what they did".’

Read here (ABC News, June 22, 2020)

UK readers find the government’s COVID-19 messages more misleading than actual fake news

‘Our research suggests broadcasters may have helped people become fairly confident in spotting egregious examples of fake news. But many participants were confused by more routine political decisions, most strikingly the lockdown measures that can affect people in England differently to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

‘For broadcasters to more effectively counter misinformation, our research tells us it is not only about boldly questioning what politicians say and holding the government to account. It is about identifying what people are most confused about and finding ways to raise their level of understanding about complex and contentious issues.’

Read here (Nieman Lab, June 15, 2020)

China plans to overhaul health system, but better communication with public is off the radar

Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, ‘identified five areas for improvement, including more investment in the public health system, giving the Centres for Disease Control more powers, a public health network to link hospitals to the CDC, a better epidemic monitoring and warning system and fostering medical talent...But Li Dun, a professor and the head of the experts network at Tsinghua University’s Centre for the Study of Contemporary China, said better communication should also be included in the proposed reforms. “Without information disclosure and public participation, the warning system won’t work effectively,” he said.’

Read here (South China Morning Post, June 8, 2020)

The coronavirus killed the handshake and the hug. What Will replace them?

‘If you feel that personal connections are harder to form when talking to someone six feet away or through a screen on Zoom, you’re not alone. “You’re having to verbalize a lot more things that you would normally express with touch,” Suvilehto says. Hugging someone who needs comforting or placing a hand on their shoulder often feels easier and more natural than finding the right words. Being forced to voice these feelings might turn us into better communicators. “But the other option is that people will just stop communicating about emotions,” Suvilehto says.’

Read here (Time Magazine, May 27, 2020)

Call for clear face masks to be ‘the norm’

‘Standard face masks, which have become widespread as countries try to stop the spread of coronavirus, muffle words and obscure the mouth... Main dans la Main (Hand in Hand), an association which supports deaf and hearing impaired people in Chevrières, northern France, is among the organisations around the world that have created a mask with a transparent window... But one setting where homemade masks are not suitable - but where both PPE and communication are vital - is in hospitals. There is just one company in the US that has secured Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to make clear masks for clinical use.’

Read here (BBC, May 26, 2020)

Look into my eyes: Communication in the era of face masks

‘Wallraven's research at Korea University in Seoul focuses on facial expressions. "The greatest source of non-verbal information comes from our mouths," he said, explaining that facial expressions, especially in the lower part of the face, reveal nuances in the spoken word. But face masks hide much of these facial expressions. This makes it difficult to put things that are being said into the right context, which may lead to uncertainty, Wallraven said. "Is that person smiling or grinning sarcastically? You just can't tell."

Read here (DW, May 22, 2020)

How has Vietnam, a developing nation in South-East Asia, done so well to combat coronavirus?

Key points: Despite sharing a border with China, Vietnam has reported less than 300 cases. Experts believe that Vietnamese coronavirus caseload statistics are accurate. Success has been attributed to aggressive testing, contact tracing and public messaging

Read here (ABC News, May 13, 2020)

The rise of ‘health entertainment’ to convey lifesaving messages in the Covid-19 pandemic

‘An unprecedented global crisis demands unprecedented creativity in the health communication field. The world’s most trusted voices in public health urgently need to be heard by meeting their audiences on social media and capturing their attention through innovative message design. We’ll never come up with impactful, innovative solutions if we stay inside our comfort zone.’

Read here (Scientific American, May 1, 2020)

Strengthening preparedness for Covid-19 in cities and urban settings

‘This document is to support local authorities, leaders and policy-makers in cities and other urban settlements in identifying effective approaches and implementing recommended actions that enhance the prevention, preparedness and readiness for COVID-19 in urban settings, to ensure a robust response and eventual recovery. It covers factors unique to cities and urban settings, considerations in urban preparedness, key areas of focus and preparing for future emergencies.’

Beyond traditional recommendations—such as multisectoral collaboration, protecting vulnerable populations, and evidence-based policy decisions—the guidance also addresses 4 focus areas in the context of COVID-19 preparedness:

1. Coordinated local plans to address unique issues, characteristics, and capacities of individual cities; 
2. Risk communication and education to promote compliance with recommended actions, using media that can effectively reach target audiences; 
3. Contextually and culturally appropriate approaches to public health, including social distancing, enhanced hygiene, and respiratory etiquette; and 
4. Adequate access to care for COVID-19 and other essential health services, including prevent services like vaccination. The document also includes an annex with more specific details, considerations, and recommendations under each focus area.

Read and download here (WHO, April 28, 2020)

UrbanFutures: The marathon fight against Covid-19 and beyond

• ‘By all accounts, it looks highly probable that the pandemic and its direct consequences will be with us for a while, possibly for another 12 to 18 months, and its social, cultural and economic impact will be felt many years after...
• ‘To face this challenge, unified public health strategies should be implemented so that risks can be managed and, with a degree of regularity, brought into everyday life...
• ‘The Covid-19 crisis is going to redefine our lives, our economy and our future. We are in the early phase of a protracted slowdown and there is discussion in the international media about the possibility of global depression. The challenge is managing the economic shock and slowdown...
• ‘We should all be thinking about and having conversations around the type of future we want — not just for ourselves and our children, but for our friends, neighbours and fellow humans. More importantly, we need to have this conversation today, even as we manage the complexity of the first wave and its fallout.’ 

Read here (The Edge, April 23, 2020)

Leaders in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America need to look carefully at alternative policies

‘Some possibilities include:

• A universal mask-wearing requirement when workers leave their homes (as masks and homemade face coverings are comparatively cheap, and such a policy is likely feasible for almost all countries to implement); 
• Targeted social isolation of the elderly and other at-risk groups, while permitting productive individuals with lower-risk profiles to continue working; 
• Improving access to clean water, hand-washing, and sanitation, and other policies to decrease the viral load; and 
• Widespread social influence and information campaigns to encourage behaviours that slow the spread of disease but do not undermine economic livelihoods. This could include restrictions on the size of religious and social gatherings or programs to encourage community and religious leaders to endorse safer behaviours and communicate them clearly.’

Read here (Foreign Policy, April 10, 2020)

The impact of the coronavirus on global higher education: Exclusive QS survey data

‘When asked for their thoughts on the higher education sector’s approach to crisis management and the coronavirus, many respondents emphasised the importance of: (1) Online learning (2) International coordination and collaboration (3) Proactive, preventative measures (4) Strong university leadership (5) Flexibility for assessment deadlines and exams (6) Stricter sanitation initiatives (7) Clear communication from university leadership and administrators.’

Download here (QS, April 2, 2020)