CLEVELAND, Ohio – Don’t wear masks; wear them. Masks protect you; Masks protect others. The only thing that was consistent about the masking of health professionals at the start of the pandemic was the inconsistency that left many Americans confused and skeptical.
Now the public is experiencing a similar whiplash injury from having the COVID-19 vaccine booster. First, President Joe Biden released a plan to bring Pfizer boosters to everyone. An advisory body to the US Food and Drug Administration rejected the plan.
Then an advisory panel from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed the game again on Thursday, recommending boosters for people 65 and over, people with pre-existing conditions and residents of nursing homes. And late at night, CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky prompted the committee’s decision to exclude frontline workers at increased risk of exposure.
What are the implications of all of the rapidly changing health policies and conflicting messages? Another type of pandemic – an increase in conspiracy theories, disinformation and a lack of confidence in the system that was created to protect us.
“The uncoordinated news that has occurred may be the biggest public health failure we’ve seen with COVID-19,” said Scott Frank, director of the public health program at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “In public health, the first rule of a pandemic is always to present a single message.”
Frank said the idea that the booster was ready for a widespread release is premature and a good example of what he calls “news drift”.
Frank said it was important to come up with a coordinated response. Advances in science have helped the medical community fight COVID-19 in unprecedented ways, but it’s not without its consequences.
“Before, we wouldn’t have had the science that would have allowed us to change course in the middle of the stream. We would have stayed with our original plan and had a consistent message, ”said Frank. “But it would have been the wrong message. The fact that we had a change in science doesn’t mean scientists are upset; it means we are discovering new information that will enable us to take a more effective course in fighting the virus. “
Raed Dweik, a Cleveland Clinic doctor and a member of the hospital’s COVID-19 response team, said one of the most troubling aspects of the pandemic had been uncertainty.
“This uncertainty has been tough for a lot of people not only in the community but also in the medical field because we have to understand it ourselves so we can convey it to the public,” said Dweik. “I know it is awkward for people not to have definitive answers, but this is a sign of the times.”
For ethnic and ethnic minority populations, the insecurity and fear caused by inconsistent messaging are compounded by a lack of trust stemming from years of public health inequalities while being disproportionately affected by COVID-19, Frank said .
And since the early days of the pandemic, the interface between politics and medicine created a power dynamic that led to contradicting messages. Around the world, each country set its own safety plan, while here in the US, states advanced with different approaches, each backed by unique scientific research working with a variety of medical experts.
“The push-and-pull between science and politics has contributed most to the distrust,” said Frank. “Scientists have been asked to justify or rationalize some policy decisions that were not based on rational science.”
As this decision and scientific information evolves, the Internet provides a breeding ground for misinformation and disinformation – arguably more damaging as it is shared with the intent to deceive. Although the problem plagued online platforms long before the pandemic, COVID-19 exacerbated the problem as disinformation was turned into weapons to serve individual agendas rather than serve the health of the community.
“It can land on ears that may have a basic distrust of vaccines, healthcare, government, or science,” Frank said. “These messages are amplified by people on social media who have a tendency to believe these messages and convey them to others. It is quite painful to see people you know and trust spread messages that actually harm their neighbors and the people we care about. “
The challenge for the public health system is to maintain the public’s beliefs while mixed messages increase suspicion. For Frank and Dweik the answer is simple: create trust through coordinated and systematic communication.
The Cleveland Clinic has developed a strategy of communicating quickly and frequently while their experts share their knowledge of COVID-19 – and most importantly, what they don’t know – based on the latest data.
“A lot of things come out that are speculation or guesswork,” said Dweik. “It is not easy for us as doctors to say that we do not know. But it’s better … than saying something that isn’t backed up or supported by science and evidence. “
Cuyahoga County Health Department will decide its recommendations and the timing of their release based on the best possible way to prevent hospitalizations and death. However, these decisions can be at the expense of public opinion, according to Terry Allan, health commissioner for Cuyahoga County.
“Information comes out quickly, and a fog can build up when people try to understand the steps,” Allan said. “Sometimes it’s not popular. That comes with every emergency and we have to live with it. “
source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/09/25/booster-shot-or-not-mixed-messaging-creates-distrust-during-covid-19-pandemic/
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