1/6 Communication = knowing your audience. I feel one #COVID19 comms mistake has been assuming everyone “gets it” & should just get on board, based mainly on #coronavirus death reporting.

- Avg person knows 600 other people
- 160,000 tragic deaths = 1/2000 people in U.S.

2/6 Put another way, if avg person knows 600 other people, & 1/2000 have died from #COVID19, then 1 of 3 on average has personal experience with this outcome. Due to greatly uneven regional distribution, some know many who’ve died, but for most of country, it’s even less than 1/3

3/6 What does all this mean? - Many (most?) in U.S. have not experienced and are not fearful of death by #COVID19. It’s not real as a threat to them, and death reporting alone may not motivate them to act.

But ALL have been impacted- most quite severely- by shutdowns...

4/6 We must share examples of & studies supporting how public health measures don’t just lower cases & deaths, but facilitate reopening. Otherwise many will resist what they perceive as unending sacrifice & inconvenience for the sake of a benefit that doesn’t seem real to them.

5/6 The narrative that reopening is bad doesn’t resonate- the perceived benefits of reopening surpass experienced health harms for many. And we must do more than report deaths (or even cases- as many cases are mild/ asymptomatic, its still not seen by some as a major harm/threat)

6/6 IMO our story should be that embracing public health measures = faster reopening. Recognizing & speaking to experiences of those you seek to convince is critical.

Want to reopen (and stay open)? Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Watch your distance. It really will benefit YOU!