The paranoia surrounding the novel coronavirus has contributed to the ostracization of its victims.
While the snub associated with the diseased or the afflicted is nothing new to humankind, the pandemics have incited social stigma and discrimination. Ranging from smallpox, tuberculosis, Black Death, Spanish Flu, to the more recent HIV-AIDS — the stigmatising theme has been a true constant. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is no exemption.
The fight against the deadly disease is arguably the most serious global, nation-wide and individual struggle humanity has confronted in decades. It is important to highlight the threat posed by the dread disease; it is important to underline the measures that every person must take against it; it is critical to even adopt extreme measures such as lockdowns to prevent its spread. All of this, therefore, requires messaging that is focused on the dangers of the pestilence.
All the same, there needs to be a second message along with it. It has to revolve around how the disease is, overwhelmingly, not life-threatening. Those who are infected with the virus are victims but not criminals. True, there is no cure thus far but the right remedial care will see them recover. It has to be focused on how patients require empathy, not ostracisation. And it has to emphasise that the reason both the infected and those vulnerable to infection are asked to isolate and quarantine is so that they don’t spread it to others.
“Please don’t ostracize them. They are part of us and God forbid, anybody can get infected. They are absolutely disease free,” doctor made a statement recently. After treated and discharged from the hospital, the COVID-19 patient is as good as a normal person and is as if not infected at all.
This twofold messaging is important because of increasing reports that many who develop symptoms are reluctant to go to hospitals because of the stigma around the disease. This, in turn, means they report at a later stage when symptoms become more severe — in the process, they transmit the disease to many others but more importantly, their survival prospects diminish. Tackling the stigma around it is an important element in the battle against the pandemic. As psychologists are pointing out, the response to human immunodeficiency virus testing over two decades ago dramatically improved when people saw hope of treatment, got access to tests and were protected against stigmatisation and xenophobia. This would surely apply to COVID-19.
COVID-19 Stigma
