@article{Farao_2020, title={Digital health communication in South Africa during COVID-19}, volume={3}, url={https://journals.uct.ac.za/index.php/GHI/article/view/891}, DOI={10.15641/ghi.v3i1.891}, abstractNote={<div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 431.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.971199);"> </div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 431.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.971199);">On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global pandemic as the world experienced</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 453.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.998964);">the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to 144 countries (World Health</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 475.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.955598);">Organisation, 2020a). The disease resulting from the virus – coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – had</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 497.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.947039);">already overloaded the health systems of many nations. In South Africa, which confirmed its first positive</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 519.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01365);">COVID-19 case on 5 March, the pandemic has resulted in extreme measures to prevent its spread, including</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 541.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00392);">a national lockdown and various restrictions on movement. It has also resulted in one of the most widespread</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 563.982px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00188);">health communication campaigns since the HIV epidemic during the 2000s.</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 600.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.92971);">Terms such as “social distancing” and “flattening the curve” have become part of our communal vocabulary</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 622.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01129);">due to the extent of health messaging. The communication on practical preventative solutions, such as hand-</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 644.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.954989);">washing and alternative greeting practices (Prem et al., 2020), has also been shared widely in an easy-to-</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 666.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(0.955105);">understand manner. The WHO specifically emphasises the accurate and timely communication of essential</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 688.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01691);">health information as imperative to curbing the spread of the virus, and how important such communication</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 710.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.00989);">is to shifting behaviours and perceptions (WHO, 2020b). In addition, accurate and authoritative information,</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 732.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.02047);">which inspires trust, is important in combatting the spread of the virus. This has meant innovation in digital</div> <div style="left: 95.0175px; top: 754.153px; font-size: 18.3333px; font-family: serif; transform: scaleX(1.01603);">health communication.</div>}, number={1}, journal={Global Health Innovation}, author={Farao, Jaydon}, year={2020}, month={May} }