Since the start of the pandemic, we have been inundated with information about the virus. We receive alerts on our phones with the number of cases detected each day, we are always on the lookout for the next wave, we are presented with each variant spotted on the planet… it can be exhausting. Are we going to continue like this indefinitely?
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Whether we like it or not, there will continue to be news about COVID-19 in Quebec for a while yet. But at a time when we are increasingly called upon to “live with the virus”, we must ask ourselves: how can we ensure that the information transmitted retains its usefulness without being distressing? Experts take stock.
Virologist Benoît Barbeau believes it may be time to change the way information about the virus is communicated.
For example, we may not need to number each wave to talk about periods when there is an increase in cases: it gives the impression that we are about to be overwhelmed when it is not is not necessarily the case.
“Unless there is a turnaround, there will be a seventh, eighth, ninth wave… The important question is how serious they will be and communicate the essentials so that people remember that we are still in a pandemic, and that they continue to adhere to public health measures. If we want to learn to live with the virus, I don’t think people really need to know absolutely all the details continuously, ”he says.
Photo archives, QMI Agency
He also recalls that Quebec frequently experiences “waves” associated with other viruses such as the flu, or the common cold, which are not named as such. And for which we do not receive alerts linked to the number of cases on our phones, for example.
“These are viruses that are more present during specific periods, such as in winter. We don’t do very strict monitoring of these viruses, unlike what we saw with COVID-19. I believe that we could eventually move towards a similar communication. The transition will take a little while to take place, but it is important to start thinking about it”, illustrates Benoît Barbeau.
Variants
Nor do you need to know that a new variant has just been detected elsewhere, especially if you do not believe that it has particularities that make it more dangerous, according to the virologist.
“We had heard of a variant of Vietnam which ultimately did not have too much impact here. Beta and Gamma have made some upheavals in Canada, but nothing more. These variants will continue to develop in large numbers, so you have to sort out and choose the information that is really important, ”he believes.
Replenish your energy
Clinical psychologist Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier also indicates that there are real psychological consequences to receiving this kind of information continuously.
“The fact of continuing to talk about a new wave that is coming and naming it as such, insisting a lot on it, for some it can significantly increase anxiety,” she explains.
Photo courtesy, Caroline Clouâtre
Dr. Geneviève Beaulieu-Pelletier
But this is not the most important point, insists the psychologist.
“I believe that what is even more serious is that hammering out this kind of information can have a harmful effect: by dint of being bombarded people come to diminish the importance of the virus and to abandon the gestures major barriers,” she says.
Thus, when the epidemiological situation stabilizes and the government gives more space to citizens, as is usually the case during the summer, it would be better to receive less information on COVID-19.
“We could speak of an increase in cases without speaking of a wave. It would allow people to recharge their batteries psychologically and be aware of the importance of the message if the situation tumbled in the fall or winter. Everything is a question of balance, because people are tired and it is very difficult to remain in a state of alert repeatedly for so long,” she concludes.
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