Myths, misconceptions, othering and stigmatizing responses to Covid-19 in South Africa: A rapid qualitative assessment (original) (raw)

Perceptions, risk and understandings of the COVID-19 pandemic in urban South Africa

South African Journal of Psychiatry

Background: How people perceive the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and understand their risk can influence their health, behaviours and overall livelihood. The disease’s novelty and severity have elicited a range of attitudes and perspectives countrywide, which consequently influence the public’s adherence to public health prevention and treatment guidelines.Aim: To investigate perceptions, experiences and knowledge on COVID-19 in a community-based cohort study.Setting: Adults living in Soweto in South Africa’s Gauteng province during the first six weeks of the national lockdown regulations (i.e. Alert Level 5 lockdown from end of March to beginning of May 2020).Methods: Participants completed a series of surveys and answered open-ended questions through telephonic interviews (n = 391). We queried their perceptions of the origins of COVID-19, understandings of the disease, personal and communal risks and its relations with the existing disease burden.Results: Findings ...

How South African Families Protected Themselves during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Sustainability

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of cases of ‘viral pneumonia’—‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (COVID-19)—in Wuhan City, the People’s Republic of China on 31 December 2019. To curb the spread of the virus, various containment measures were introduced. However, no study has explored how families protected themselves during the pandemic. Therefore, this study explored how families protected themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic using a qualitative exploratory design. Thirty-one adult participants, representing families in the Western Cape province of South Africa, were virtually interviewed. The sampling approach was both convenient and snowball. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The results show that families followed and adapted to the mainstream protection measures as implemented by the South African government but in addition believed that adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions would protect them from contracting the virus. Therefore, the go...

A Disease of Privilege? Social Representations in Online Conversations about Covid-19 amongst some South Africans during lockdown

2020

Responses by South Africans to communication from their government about the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown and proposed courses of action for containment have highlighted previously incommunicable socio-economic inequalities pervading access to healthcare. Government’s reaction in a bid to stem the Covid-19 global pandemic, though slow at commencement, has often been swift and decisive with regular briefings by ministerial clusters and the presidency in collaboration with various experts, displaying apparent transparency and ease of comprehension for audiences. However, there have arisen a range of oft-negative responses by citizens such announced courses of action, often based on representations of who the face of the virus is and in turn influencing their responses to government’s courses of action. A Social Representation approach was followed, with focus on citizen representations made regarding the spread of the Covid-19 virus, arising social representations and potential health commu...

Social Stigma and other Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic in Low Resource Setting, in Eastern Africa: Need to Increase Preventive Efforts and Addressing the Consequences, 2020

Medical Journal IMJ Health, 2020

Since the emergency of COVID-19 pandemics, many countries have been encountered a multitude of challenges. People have been facing health related and other social consequences throughout the world. It is too early to know the aggravated impact of COVID-19 on people living in resource-limited setting, like east Africa countries. In these countries, besides direct public health impact, the COVID-19 pandemic has provoked social stigma and discriminatory behaviors against people of certain ethnic backgrounds as well as anyone perceived to have been in contact with the virus. Social stigma can negatively affect those with the disease, as well as their caregivers, family, friends and communities.COVID-19 pandemics have also been provoked great impacts on daily social consumptions such as food and other food supplements. In addition, COVID-19 pandemic were overshadowed endemics diseases such as malaria, TB and HIV related care and antenatal care services as well as other non-communicable diseases prevention and control. Social stigma coupled with other consequences could result in more severe health problems, can undermine social cohesion and prompt possible social isolation of groups, which might contribute to a situation where the virus is more, not less, likely to spread and difficulties controlling a disease outbreak. Therefore, how we communicate about COVID-19 is critical in supporting people to take effective action to help combat the disease and to avoid fuelling fear and stigma. An environment needs to be created in which the disease and its impact can be discussed and addressed openly, honestly and effectively. This is a message for government, media and local organizations working on the COVID-19 infections.

COVID 19 and Racialised Risk Narratives in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa

2020

Project Background This report is the result of a research project undertaken in partnership with partners in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa between May and July 2020. It was supported by the University of Liverpool Global Challenges Strategy Group COVID-19 Official Development Assistance (ODA) Rapid Response Fund to tackle the COVID-19, or coronavirus, challenges faced by low and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Medical Mistrust and Stigma Associated with COVID-19 Among People Living with HIV in South Africa

AIDS and Behavior, 2021

We evaluated COVID-19 stigma and medical mistrust among people living with HIV in South Africa. We conducted telephone interviews with participants in a prospective study of a decentralized antiretroviral therapy program. Scales assessing medical mistrust, conspiracy beliefs, anticipated and internalized stigma, and stereotypes specific to COVID-19 were adapted primarily from the HIV literature, with higher scores indicating more stigma or mistrust. Among 303 participants, the median stigma summary score was 4 [interquartile range (IQR) 0–8; possible range 0–24] and 6 (IQR 2–9) for mistrust (possible range 0–28). A substantial proportion of participants agreed or strongly agreed with at least one item assessing stigma (54%) or mistrust (43%). Higher COVID-19 stigma was associated with female gender and antecedent HIV stigma, and lower stigma with reporting television as a source of information on COVID-19. Further efforts should focus on effects of stigma and mistrust on protective ...

Covid-19 Pandemic in South Africa: An Exploration on Citizen Adherence to Protocols and Communication

2021

This paper sought to explore the general public’s response to the national communications about COVID-19 in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A qualitative research strategy was utilised to conduct fieldwork in Scenery Park Phase 1 and 2 locations in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in King Williams town CBD, and Alice town CBD in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa to understand the context of the participants. Exploratory and descriptive approaches were used in this study. Data collection was cross-sectional as information was gathered once through face-to-face interviews with purposively selected 30 community members and leaders, 10 from each location. The findings indicated that, dissemination of information about COVID-19 was ineffective and inadequate for little was done to address the illiterate population. The study recommends the training and development of crisis leadership competencies as a proactive measure. The study also recommends spirited awareness...

Knowledge, attitude and perception towards COVID-19 among representative educated sub-Saharan Africans: A cross-sectional study during the exponential phase of the pandemic

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global health threat with extensive misinformation and conspiracy theories. Therefore, this study investigated the knowledge, attitude and perception of sub-Saharan Africans (SSA) on COVID-19 during the exponential phase of the pandemic. In this cross-sectional survey, self-administered web-based questionnaires were distributed through several online platforms. A total of 1046 respondents from 35 SSA countries completed the survey. The median age was 33 years (18–76 years) and about half (50.5%) of them were males. More than 40% across all socio-demographic categories except participants from the Central African region (21.2%), those with vocational/secondary education (28.6%), as well as student/unemployed (35.5%), had high COVID-19 knowledge scores. Socio-demographic factors and access to information were associated with COVID-19 knowledge. Bivariate analysis revealed that ind...