Feedback from stakeholders in Indonesia:
Preliminary Findings:
- The COVID-19 Task Force plays a key role in shaping communication strategies for the public, while other actors serve as messengers, conveying essential information through designated spokespersons to priority audiences at critical times.
- The dilemma lies in balancing key actors who communicate effectively but provide inaccurate information with those who share evidence-based details but struggle to make their messages understandable to the public.
- Hard-to-reach groups are not always those who lack exposure to information, as many have received it but choose not to accept or believe the message for various reasons.
Feedback from stakeholders in Vietnam:
What groups/communities were most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic?
A few examples for scientists' involvement:
- Participate in outreach events to increase community awareness on vacines and fake news
- Collaborate with media and community-based organisations to build public understanding about the disease and outbreaks
- Write popular science books and social media posts on outbreaks
- Partner with school nurses and teachers to run school-based prevention programmes
Feedback from stakeholders in Thailand:
1. Communication challenges during COVID-19 pandemic:
- Trustworthy | There were too many sources of information, coming from various places. For example, different medical doctors or experts provided conflicting information, and the information was shared without proper checking, causing public confusion.
- The one-way communication approach | The public receives information from the government, but the government does not receive any feedbacks from the public.
- Accessibility | Many channels were available, but certain groups—such as people with disabilities, the elderly, children, the economically disadvantaged, and those without access to technology—found it difficult to access news.
- Mental health problem | Excessive news consumption has caused anxiety and fear regarding the pandemic.
2. Information required for future pandemic:
- Disease knowledge | Symptoms, transmission and spread, prevention method and treatment.
- Alternative treatment | herbal medicine.
- Vaccine Information | Vaccine types, side effects, cost and long-term impact.
- Accurate and up-to-date news and information.
- Pandemic Management Guides | Create manuals for handling pandemic situation (similar to fire/emergency response guides).
Identifying 'hard-to-reach' groups
Definition: Hard-to-reach groups during pandemics re individuals or groups of people facing barriers in receiving or responding to the disease's information. They are also often 'under-served!'
Barriers to receiving communications
- Geographical barriers
- Living alone with no connections
- Constantly moving/relocating
Poor comprehension of information
- Lack of education
- Language barriers
- Mentally impaired