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Countries around the world, have been reporting an increase in “pandemic fatigue” – people are feeling demotivated about following recommended behaviours to protect themselves and others from the Omicron virus.

 

Finding effective ways to tackle this fatigue and reinvigorate public vigilance is a growing challenge for governments as the crisis continues. 

Pandemic fatigue evolves gradually over time and is affected by the cultural, social, structural, and legislative environment.

Expat Fatigue

Here in Thailand, when the pandemic began over two years ago, luckily most of the country reported incredibly low number of cases. 

As we now know this has changed and cases have risen dramatically.

Many saying the government should have done more to stop the spread of Delta virus and now Omicron.

However, as expats we have often had to rely on word of mouth, to get accurate information, as most Covid details are mainly posted in the local language. 

The penny (or in our case the Baht!) has at last dropped and the powers to be no realised that Covid cannot tell the difference between a local or an expat, as we can all carry the virus. 

Now as the number of cases has skyrocketed, governments across the region have understood the importance of keeping us expats well informed with English language information.

Meanwhile being thousands of miles from home, can add to an expat’s anxiety although everyone stuck at home goes through some sort of Pandemic Fatigue.

Online WHO meeting 

High-level public health experts from over thirty countries and many partner organizations from the World Health Organisation (WHO) European region, connected remotely to search together with the root causes of this phenomenon and share national experiences and plans. 

At the request of European Member States, WHO/Europe developed a framework of policy recommendations to guide governments in the planning and implementation of national and subnational strategies to bolster public support for COVID-19 prevention measures.

Governments need key strategies

Katrine Bach Habersaat, Team Lead (ad interim) of the Behavioural and Cultural Insights Unit at WHO/Europe, introduced the framework developed by WHO/Europe to address pandemic fatigue. 
It includes four key strategies:

•    Understand people: collect and use evidence for targeted, tailored, and effective policies, interventions, and communication.
•    Engage people as part of the solution.
•    Help people to reduce risk while doing the things that make them happy.
•    Acknowledge and address the hardship people experience, and the profound impact the pandemic has had on their lives.
More work will need to be conducted, with opportunities for regular exchanges of views among WHO and Member States. 

Understanding pandemic fatigue

Professor Cornelia Betsch, Heisenberg-Professor of Health Communication at Erfurt University, Germany, spoke of the psychology behind pandemic fatigue.

He explained that fear is a motivator for protective behaviour, but it wears off as people adapt to the threat. 

Fatigue also occurs if we do the same things repeatedly for a long time, she added.

WHO defines pandemic fatigue as a natural and expected reaction to sustained and unresolved adversity in people’s lives.

It expresses itself as demotivation to engage in protective behaviours and to seek out information, as well as in feelings of complacency, alienation, and hopelessness. 

Pandemic fatigue evolves gradually over time and is affected by the cultural, social, structural, and legislative environment.

Therefore, monitoring public opinion, through tools such as the one developed by WHO/Europe and now used by twenty-seven countries and areas in the region, is an important starting point for effective behavioural change.

Sharing country experiences

Many country representatives took the floor at the meeting to share examples of action taken in their countries to ensure public engagement in COVID-19-related measures. 

Common themes included making sure that these initiatives were understandable and logical, the importance of supporting livelihoods and jobs, targeting measures to specific groups.

And considering other barriers beyond knowledge that prevent people from following recommendations (such as lack of access to safe water, hand sanitizer, masks, spacious living conditions, and so on).
Several participants also highlighted how supporting mental health initiatives is essential as the pandemic continues.

Next steps

There was broad agreement among participants that further discussion on the topic of pandemic fatigue is needed through a regular forum. WHO/Europe also proposed creating a repository for country experiences.

At the end of the meeting, the Norwegian concept of “dugnad” was invoked – support provided by individuals to help each other or a community – a form of group resilience to be nurtured in the months ahead.

Using behavioural and cultural science to advance health

Behavioural and cultural insights for health refers to knowledge derived from the social sciences and health humanities that helps us to better understand the drivers of and barriers to achieving the highest attainable standard of health.

The European Programme of Work has a strong focus on harnessing behavioural and cultural insights, and a new unit was recently established at WHO/Europe to improve knowledge in this field.

So, is there some light at the end of the tunnel?

As cases rise, and Health Ministries scramble to bargain for new vaccines, all we can do is vent our frustration at the local governments, many who seem to be seen as mismanaging the Covid crisis and the country’s economy.

Of course, many expats in Thailand are over 60 years old, and therefore the state of their own vulnerability and economy status adds to the stress.

All we can do is sit tight and hope that vaccines will soon be available over the counter to everyone.

Then the cases will start to drop, along with everyone’s Pandemic Fatigue.
 

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7 minutes ago, webfact said:

“pandemic fatigue”

I think most people are experiencing "pandemic boredom" rather than fatigue.

People want to get on with their lives, so let the vulnerable protect themselves, and the rest of us can carry on living.

19 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

I think most people are experiencing "pandemic boredom" rather than fatigue.

People want to get on with their lives, so let the vulnerable protect themselves, and the rest of us can carry on living.

Your recommendation will keep the pandemic going for ever. 

51 minutes ago, Thaiwrath said:

I think most people are experiencing "pandemic boredom" rather than fatigue.

People want to get on with their lives, so let the vulnerable protect themselves, and the rest of us can carry on living.

You seem to have missed the cultural attitudes Thai people exhibit towards the vulnerable people they know, their parents and grand parents.

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Pandemic fatigue evolves gradually over time and is affected by the cultural, social, structural, and legislative environment.

Dunno about in Thailand, but I was so over it a month after it started.

The worst of the unintended consequences of lockdowns are, IMO, not yet happening, and things are IMO going to get a great deal worse, till they get better, if they do actually get better, and that's not guaranteed, IMO.

1 hour ago, Letseng said:

Your recommendation will keep the pandemic going for ever. 

LOL. Even the Black Death ended, eventually.

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. Even the Black Death ended, eventually.

Wrong topic. This is about Covid. 

5 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

I think most people are experiencing "pandemic boredom" rather than fatigue.

People want to get on with their lives, so let the vulnerable protect themselves, and the rest of us can carry on living.

How compassionate of you

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Dunno about in Thailand, but I was so over it a month after it started.

The worst of the unintended consequences of lockdowns are, IMO, not yet happening, and things are IMO going to get a great deal worse, till they get better, if they do actually get better, and that's not guaranteed, IMO.

I was feeling great until I read your post.

Being in Thailand has been a thousand times better than anywhere in Europe or the US. I was back home for 2 months and couldn’t wait to get away from a stupid majority behaving like there’s nothing wrong. It’s no wonder the UK is still getting over 100k cases a day and despite this the idiot in charge is ending restrictions to save his own skin and f*** the population.

Yes!  From the daily <deleted> thrown out through the media

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Dunno about in Thailand, but I was so over it a month after it started.

The worst of the unintended consequences of lockdowns are, IMO, not yet happening, and things are IMO going to get a great deal worse, till they get better, if they do actually get better, and that's not guaranteed, IMO.

Care to expand a little on your doom-laden theory?

What are the unintended consequences of lockdown?
Surely things are already starting to pick up and get better?

 

I think the end of Covid19 is clearly in sight now.

31 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

Being in Thailand has been a thousand times better than anywhere in Europe or the US. I was back home for 2 months and couldn’t wait to get away from a stupid majority behaving like there’s nothing wrong. It’s no wonder the UK is still getting over 100k cases a day and despite this the idiot in charge is ending restrictions to save his own skin and f*** the population.

I was in the UK for 18 months.

 

You seem to have spent your 2 months in a very different part of the UK to me (a not at all difficult thing to do) which is why one should always be wary of the definitive "what it's like" statement.

 

The UK is getting about 100k cases a day because it's OMICRON.......y'kna, the one that gives you the sniffles..........hence so many have joined the younger population in "not giving a ****" (as they rightly should not).

 

Oops, nearly forgot the subject of the OP.........for what it's worth I've had the "fatigue" since August in the UK.............arrived back in Thailand early December.

 

 

 

 

Vaccines have saved lives and delayed spread of Covid. Now the viras has mutated to cause mainly milder symptoms it is time to slowly get back to normal and stop the suffering being caused to those who are economically unfairly affected..

10 minutes ago, eeworldwide said:

Care to expand a little on your doom-laden theory?

What are the unintended consequences of lockdown?
Surely things are already starting to pick up and get better?

 

I think the end of Covid19 is clearly in sight now.

Yes, it will become a relatively unthreatening "part of the furniture"..........the writing was on the wall middle of last year.

 

But that was no comfort for those stuck with the basket of chaos that was the Thai regimes "policy" towards it.

 

 

 

 

Pandemic fatigue, BLM fatigue, gender neutrality fatigue, Afganistan fatigue, Boris Johnson's party fatigue .... the list is endless. 

11 minutes ago, Enoon said:

You seem to have spent your 2 months in a very different part of the UK to me (a not at all difficult thing to do) which is why one should always be wary of the definitive "what it's like" statement.

London, Manchester, Brighton, Leeds and various other smaller towns. Similar experience everywhere. When omicron first hit there was a substantial uptick in mask wearing which lasted about 2 weeks then it was back to “normal”

32 minutes ago, Fairynuff said:

London, Manchester, Brighton, Leeds and various other smaller towns. Similar experience everywhere. When omicron first hit there was a substantial uptick in mask wearing which lasted about 2 weeks then it was back to “normal”

And so what 

 

 

I am getting tired of being part of a major historical event.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Pandemic fatigue evolves gradually over time and is affected by the cultural, social, structural, and legislative environment.

I admit I let out a sigh every time Phipat or T.A.T make a new announcement

1 hour ago, eeworldwide said:

Care to expand a little on your doom-laden theory?

What are the unintended consequences of lockdown?
Surely things are already starting to pick up and get better?

 

I think the end of Covid19 is clearly in sight now.

You wouldn’t think that if you were in our  village in the N.East with  a huge Omicron cluster which I think followed New Year  arrivals from all over

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

I admit I let out a sigh every time Phipat or T.A.T make a new announcement

 

Not I, I'm currently playing 'Covid Bingo'.

I only need a 'partial lockdown' to get a full house.

24 minutes ago, Pheat123 said:

And so what 

Really useful comment, thanks for that

Not fatigue from the pandemic but from the perpetual reporting of covid figures and pictures of people getting vaccinated by masked health workers. This is not news any longer. It's as we used to say 'Going on like a cracked record.' Give it a rest please.

6 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You seem to have missed the cultural attitudes Thai people exhibit towards the vulnerable people they know, their parents and grand parents.

 

 

 

 

Yes Chomper I agree with you. It would be nice or have been nice for other countries, and for the entire planet if other nations had embraced and acted as unitedly, and selflessly as the Thai people have. 

1 minute ago, Tropposurfer said:

Yes Chomper I agree with you. It would be nice or have been nice for other countries, and for the entire planet if other nations had embraced and acted as unitedly, and selflessly as the Thai people have. 

I’ve said many times, I’m very grateful to have spent the period of the pandemic in Thailand.

 

 

5 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Dunno about in Thailand, but I was so over it a month after it started.

The worst of the unintended consequences of lockdowns are, IMO, not yet happening, and things are IMO going to get a great deal worse, till they get better, if they do actually get better, and that's not guaranteed, IMO.

"Over it" yet posting on the covid forum obsessively like a child posessed.

Boris Johnson announces end to Plan B COVID restrictions in England Wed 19 Jan 2022 16.21 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/19/boris-johnson-announces-end-to-all-omicron-covid-restrictions-in-england

 

It's time for Thailand to follow suit.

19 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I’ve said many times, I’m very grateful to have spent the period of the pandemic in Thailand.

 

 

Yes, and I know every crack in the walls of my house, Thanks China you made me see the light?

2 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Yes, and I know every crack in the walls of my house, Thanks China you made me see the light?