An Unbelievable Lack of COVID Awareness

Here's a post by Dr Chuck Wurster on Twitter about the lack of COVID knowledge, in the 3rd year of the pandemic.

"Often when I talk to patients in the emergency department, I feel like no one has ever actually talked to them about Covid, masks, vaccinations or how to protect themselves and their families from viral illnesses.

Some patients are surprised to learn that Covid is still spreading through our communities. They’ve never heard of long Covid, and they believe that the virus is “just a cold.” No one has ever told them that repeat Covid infections could have profound health implications.

Many people don't know that masks work to decrease the spread of respiratory viruses and are not just something worn by sick people. They don't know that respirator-style masks can protect the wearer from getting infections. They don't know that you can get these masks for kids.

Many of my patients are surprised to learn that their young children have been eligible for the Covid vaccines for months. They don't know they themselves could have had two boosters this year or that the new bivalent boosters are available. Many adults have had only two doses.

My patients have very little knowledge of how to keep an Covid infection from spreading within a household. Talk of ventilation and filtration, opening windows, masking, and isolation within the home are foreign concepts. No one has ever told them.

Why don't my patients know these seemingly evident and basic concepts of the world we now live in? It's likely a combination of many things. Regardless of why, I do my best every shift, with the short time we have in an overcrowded emergency department, to fill in the blanks.

Public health messaging has been abysmal in informing the public about our current state of persistent Covid transmission and death, the emergence of influenza and RSV, and the immense strain this viral soup has put on our healthcare system.

No one from public health says the word Covid anymore. They say “respiratory viruses”. No one from public health says “mask” anymore, they just mention washing your hands. No one ever mentions Long Covid or talks about the vascular and immune complications of repeat infections.

The scarcity of knowledge and lack of insight within our society does not solely rest with public health. We, as front-line healthcare workers, have done poorly in filling in the gaps left by non-existent public messaging. We can’t just let this slide anymore.

The healthcare team must take the extra few minutes to give patients the tools to protect themselves and their families. Encourage all vaccinations, most especially Covid and flu. Encourage masking in public and at school. Talk about respirators. Talk about cleaning the air.

We need our public figures, including politicians, celebrities and high profile physicians to model strategies to curb the spread of respiratory viruses. Most importantly this must include wearing respirator-style masks in indoor public spaces. Our society needs to see this.

The public won't be able to adapt to these extraordinary times unless they know how to avoid prolonged and potentially life-shortening illnesses. We have to provide this information both in our words and in our behaviours."