Behaviour change is the only way we can stop the virus

Just in time for holidays, the announcement came that omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading quickly in the region.

The rise in the number of cases and hospitalisations could definitely have a negative impact on people’s health, on the response capacity of the national health system, and on all sectors of activity that are beginning to return to normality.

Containing Covid-19 requires not just good policy decisions and medical advice; it also needs continued compliance with recommended behavioral changes that in many ways go against social and cultural conventions.

The need for behavioral change resulted in lockdowns, school closures, and travel restrictions worldwide.

Behavior is often mentioned in relation to crises: The trading of mortgages that resulted in the financial crisis in 2008, the shaking of hands in the age of the pandemic, or the consumption of goods in the climate crisis.

In most of these cases, behavior is primarily considered as a factor that causes or sustains a crisis. When it comes to solving a crisis, behavior is less likely to be considered.

For solutions to a crisis, we often turn to experts. We seem to overlook the power of change, and the field of behavioral science.

Many lessons learned from socio-behavioral science in the HIV pandemic are applicable to Covid-19.

Individual behavior must be understood within its interpersonal and societal context to address the current barriers to adherence to disease-mitigating strategies and promote an effective response to the pandemic

Stigma and misinformation

Human behavior was instrumental in causing Covid-19, and changing it is vital to tackling the pandemic. Countries that have done best in handling the virus have persuaded their populations to enact behavior change.

Adopting a behavioral science approach could be hugely beneficial, from facilitating change around key behaviors to reducing stigma and misinformation.

We have learned that accurate and consistent information serves as the foundation to any messaging or public health campaigns to influence individual behaviors and must be managed carefully in light of evolving evidence.

Moreover, vaccines are a critical tool, but human behavior plays a vital role in vaccine uptake.

Therefore, it is important to develop strategies and interventions that maximise the opportunity for people to maintain these behaviors.

Let us all commit to taking personal responsibility to be the light that will save our country from Covid-19. There is no way this disease can defeat us.

Ms Sirima is the communications officer, Pharmacy and Poisons Board.