COVID-19: Applauding a powerful messaging that serves as call to action

The long awaited break to end the pandemic phase of COVID-19 pandemic we all await continues to elude us despite many breakthrough control tools and measures. In times like these when participation of everyone is needed, succinct and clear messaging is a key – and we dedicate this post to applaud one powerful and succinct statement.

As of today over 5 million deaths are attributed to COVID-19 worldwide and 800,000 deaths in the USA. That relates to about 1 death for 1500 of us at the world level and 1 in 400 in the USA. I hope we don’t zoom to the million mark for deaths in the USA and naturally achieve significant control at the world level. These numbers also remind us of the effects of the pandemic that are expected to continue for longer time such as the lurking mental health and opioid epidemics exacerbated by the pandemic – including general stress or tragedy through loss of someone close to us and economic effects with significant contribution from the rapidly rising inflation levels.

We have recently added medicines to the previous two major healthcare measures – vaccines, diagnostics. However, simple and essential measures like masks and social distancing still are the frontline strategies to what feels like forever phase of the pandemic. In recent posts we discussed:

We rising up to the enormous challenges are not restricted to healthcare, but many other aspects, including technology, governmental actions and simple aspects of our everyday life that we often take for granted such as logistics.

These continue to call for effective participation of everyone minimally practicing the simple and effective behavioral changes and compassion, and of governments and global agencies to also prioritize and extend resources to underserved parts of our societies. Clear and powerful messaging is a major need for this.

Time and again during this pandemic we continue to experience, hear or read about how confusing public service directives (messages) are, even from top agencies like the CDC in the USA. With that as backdrop, the ‘startling prediction’ (as many news articles called it) made by the German health minister, Jens Spahn, on November 22, 2021 that most of his compatriots would be ‘vaccinated, cured or dead’ by the end of winter.

That statement quoted below serves as a powerful and succinct message and call for participation of everyone around the world (NOT JUST Germany) to end this pandemic:

“Probably by the end of winter, more or less everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, cured or dead”

Consistent with the goals of ‘HiBrow Perspectives’ I am certain that this post helped stimulate thoughts on some important aspects that fall at the interface of innovation, regulation and business and have major societal impact. Please share your thoughts ideally as an open forum here (instructions at the end of this web page) – or continue to do so as personal communications as several of you have been doing in the past.