Using Effective Communication to Stop the Spread of Coronavirus in Ghana.

The world today is at a standstill and in a state of fear and panic. Just a few months ago most of us had probably never even heard the word coronavirus. Now the words coronavirus and COVID-19 have become an all too familiar part of our vocabulary. With a world facing this pandemic, everyday life for many of us has been interrupted in ways we might never have imagined. It is very sad to say that in just a short time this disease has taken the lives of thousands. 

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is  a disease  caused by a new strain of coronavirus. ‘CO’ stands for corona, ‘VI’ for virus, and ‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as ‘2019 novel coronavirus’ or ‘2019-nCoV.’ The COVID-19 virus is a new virus linked to the same family of viruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and some types of common cold. 

How does COVID-19 spread?

 The virus is transmitted through direct contact with respiratory droplets of an infected person (generated through coughing and sneezing). Individuals can also be infected from and touching surfaces contaminated with the virus and touching their face (e.g., eyes, nose, and mouth). Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without needing special treatment. Older people and those with serious medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop severe illness. The COVID-19 virus may survive on surfaces for several hours, but simple disinfectants can kill it.

What is the treatment for COVID-19?

There are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical tests for potential treatments.

Using effective communication to stop the spread of coronavirus in Ghana.

The spread of the COVID-19 virus is highly rapid from person to person. An infected person, when not isolated or quarantined, can cause danger. He can expose hundreds of people to the virus within a day. This calls for an urgent need to stop the spread of coronavirus.

In stopping the spread of COVID-19, there are simple tools to use. Some of these are the practice of good hygiene, social distancing and the use of effective communication. 

The ability to communicate effectively is very essential in today’s world. To understand how using effective communication can stop the spread of coronavirus, let’s see what the difference between Communication and Effective Communication is.

Communication.

• “Communication is any behavior that results in an exchange of meaning.”—The American Management Association. 

• “Communication is the sum of all the things one person does; when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding,”—Allen Louis (1964).

Effective Communication.     

• Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information. It involves understanding the emotion and meanings behind the information. Besides being able to transfer a message, you need to listen in a way that gains the actual meaning of what is being said and make the other person feel heard and understood.

Now that we know the difference, let us focus on using effective communication to stop the spread of coronavirus in Ghana.

Active Listening.

• To listen actively includes being alert and interested in the other person. Also, listening twice as much as you speak, listening with your whole body, refraining from interrupting what you are hearing and reflecting back what you have heard. There is an ongoing partial lockdown in the country. The best way you can prove that you are an active listener is by heeding to the demands of the lockdown; stay home, do not go out when you have nothing relevant to do, stay safe. Health workers must listen actively to potential victim of COVID-19 under their care. The slightest disruption can lead to a more severe and unwanted situation. 

Asking Questions.

• When conversing with someone, asking questions shows you are interested in them. There are many types of questions you can ask. However, not just any question can help in stopping the spread of COVID-19. For example, using only open questions (i.e. questions that start with What and How) may derive less useful information. It may even show that you are less interested in the person. But then, using specific questions (i.e. questions that start with When, Where, Who, Which, How much, How many and How often) produces specific and relevant information. Such information ensures the safety of others. Most health workers can apply that during “contact tracing”. For those required to stay at home, specific questions come in handy when following the media. You should be very selective and specific. The internet and social media can feed your mind with a bunch of lies. 

Being Clear and Brief.

• This involves being clear, articulate and concise when speaking. Gone are the days when our local newsreaders would surround useful information with words of decoration and embellishment. Now is the time for them to go straight to the point. Feed the public with clear and brief but valuable information. Not only can that help stop the spread but also reduce fear and panic. Educating the public on staying protected should be short and simple. 

Being Empathetic.

• Having empathy for another person is the ability to understand and share their feelings. Now is the time to speak your heart. The most important thing is just showing that you care. Showing empathy to victims of coronavirus will give them hope. It will move them to help stop the spread of the disease. The care you give a victim can encourage their willingness to obey the laws of social distancing. Those put in charge of the partial lockdown can also be empathetic. There is no need to use violence in correcting people. They can apply enough patience. They can firmly educate the people on the need for a lockdown. Individuals not infected with the COVID-19 virus can also show empathy. Using the internet and social media to stigmatize victims of COVID-19 is not an example of empathy. It yields nothing but feelings of despair. Instead, we can send words of hope to them using these media. 

Public sensitization.

• “A stitch in time saves nine”. A daily dose of accurate information on facts related to COVID-19 is important. The media play a pivotal role in executing this. T.V shows and radio programs must keep educating the public. They should maintain health programs and focus them on fighting the virus. Telecommunication companies should not stop playing their part. They should continue providing daily health tips in the form of text messages. This is because, most Ghanaians believe that the virus cannot attack the African man. Others believe that it may attack, but cannot kill them. This is complete ignorance. The COVID-19 virus does not respect the human race in any way. Whether you are black or white or African, it can attack and kill you. True, the infection and death rate may be low in Ghana. Nevertheless, one thing remains certain. Ghanaians are getting infected with, and some are dying of COVID-19.    

Providing Feedback.

• Feedback comprises both verbal and non-verbal messages of others. It allows us to test how the message has been understood and the response to it. For instance, in a case where the potential victim is deaf and mute, getting accurate information from them can be difficult. However, communicating with them in a non-verbal way can help. Closely observing them in a caring and respectful way can provide good feedback.
• We can also derive feedback from our reactions through a process known as ‘self-monitoring.’ Self-monitoring includes remaining conscious of what we are saying and doing and how this is impacting on others. This process of feedback can be used to adjust our behavior, depending on the response we get from observing suspected cases of COVID-19.

Conclusions.

We are living in a time of major crisis. We all can agree that coronavirus and COVID-19 are on our minds. However, we do not want them on our hands. We do not want to see our loved ones wiped away. So let’s keep stopping the spread. Let’s keep using effective communication. 

References:

W.H.O (who.int), Wikipedia, google.com, habits for wellbeing.com, helpguide.org, making practice-based learning work (pdf), https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/key-messages-and-actions-for-covid-19-prevention-and-control-in-schools-march-2020.pdf?sfvrsn=baf81d52_4.