Health Voices - Inclusivity in pandemic communication: A health literacy lens

For most of us, coronavirus has meant living with uncertainty, anticipation, and change. By March 20, Australian borders were closed to all non-residents. Every few days, new announcements from the national cabinet or state government invoked further restrictions: staying at home except for essentials; limitations on indoor and outdoor gatherings; closure of pubs, gyms and schools; suspension of all non-urgent elective surgery. TV, radio and online news was flooded with information about coronavirus, a constant update of what the future might hold, from the newest development in vaccines or treatment, to debates on living with coronavirus vs complete eradication. Fundamental facts about coronavirus are still not yet established: how long it lasts on different surfaces, the proportion of people who fail to show symptoms, whether people develop immunity once infected, and the long-term health impacts for individuals. Add to all of this the fact that the pandemic extends well beyond the domain of health, with huge economic and social impacts, and asks us to give up our personal freedom for the benefit of the community.

And so, we find ourselves in a position where the situation is constantly evolving, information about coronavirus is often inconsistent or unclear, there are many unknowns about the virus itself. And through all of this, many are trying to simultaneously deal with financial and social changes that affect our daily life. It is unsurprising that acting on health advice or directives regarding the pandemic can be challenging. And yet, this is critical. As we have seen, a single infected person is enough to generate a new wave of infection. By the same token it is clear that strategies such as restrictions, increased testing and contact tracing are effective at limiting the spread of the virus in Australia. At its peak, the Victorian 14-day average reached 460 new cases per day. With these strategies in place, this has finally eased to an average 7.7 cases per day at the time of writing. Effective pandemic management requires engaging and supporting the community to act on health advice.