How to get messaging right on masks, vaccines as ‘triple threat’ of viruses swirl

Health officials looking to get buy-in among Canadians for measures like masking should use more positive and personal appeals - and should follow their own advice, experts say.

Public health officials looking to get buy-in among Canadians for health measures like masking and vaccination should use more positive, targeted and personal appeals — and they should follow their own advice, bioethicists and infectious diseases experts say.

Lessons can also be learned from the success that Canada has seen in decreasing the number of monkeypox cases in the country over the last six months, some experts added, noting that a lack of “shame-based” messaging and partnerships struck with key communities in response to that outbreak meant public health measures on monkeypox were widely followed – which helped to decrease the virus as a public health threat.

A surge in respiratory infections including COVID-19, influenza and RSV, particularly among young children and adolescents across Canada in recent weeks, has sparked significant public debate about whether mask mandates and other public health restrictions should be reinstated.

Earlier this week, the Pan American Health Organization said all of the Americas, including Canada, are experiencing a “triple threat” of respiratory illnesses that should have all countries on “alert.”

The steep rise in cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) while COVID-19 continues to spread is causing significant strain on hospitals across Canada, especially pediatric emergency departments, some of which have been forced to cancel non-urgent surgeries.

This has led a number of ER physicians and hospital officials to call for mask mandates, especially in schools, to help stop the spread of these illnesses and ease the burden on health systems.

But while a number of provincial chief medical health officers say they “strongly encourage” masking indoors, none have taken the additional step of reinstating mandates, which has led to some public backlash, particularly among burned out health workers and worried parents of sick children.

Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious diseases specialist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Ont., took to social media earlier this week to say he has seen a noticeable rise in “shame-based messaging” amid the spike in respiratory viruses, which he does not believe is helpful.