Social Stigma Associated with COVID-19

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 is undoubtedly bringing upon a lot of fear and anxiety among the people. The pandemic has had an impact on almost every sector of society. From panic buying essentials to the fear of the fall of the economy, the population around the globe is desperately trying to fight for survival. In these harsh conditions where ‘survival of the fittest’ is the only valid idea, it is easy to project the fear of the unknown over other people. US President Donald Trump referring to the virus as ‘Chinese virus’ to the attacks on health workers: this whole alienation of specific groups of people is essentially fueling stereotypes that are detrimental to the target masses. This is causing a stigma that is essentially associated with COVID-19. Stigma can be associated with people, places, or things and is a result of an association of a specific community, place, or thing with an increased risk of the disease.[1] It is not uncommon in situations of public health emergencies but that doesn’t dilute the detrimental effects it brings. Along with fighting the disease, our primary goal is also to fight the racism, xenophobia, and religious hate that are arising from misconceptions and misinformation along with the misconceptions themselves. There is an urgent need to tackle these issues before they cause extreme damage to society. This article discusses the impact of social stigma associated with COVID-19 and how to address the same.

Cause of the Social Stigma

The stigma associated with COVID—19 is primarily due to these reasons: a) the disease is new and unknown, b) fear of the unknown, and c) easy association of the fear with others.[2] The disease is new and has never been dealt with before. This has resulted in a considerable amount of chaos in the society. Why is that, you may ask? Well, ever since the ancient times, there has been nothing scarier than the unknown for us human beings. We like to be aware to be prepared for any possible situation that may arise against us. Change brings uneasiness. The human brain likes to associate this terror with others partly because it is human nature to put the blame on others and partly because it is also the very human nature to do what is possible to survive. That’s the fundamental basis of how we evolved. However, the same human conduct of defense and survival in this specific situation might not be the finest manner of dealing with the virus and can lead to even worse situations.

Another primary cause behind the stigma is the portrayal of the disease in the media. The information provided by the media plays an essential role in our life. Our opinions on political and social situations are more or less dependent on the image that the media provides us. In the context of COVID-19, some media sources have had a hand in spreading false information about certain communities.

Impact

Health care workers have been irrationally accused of spreading the disease and have been assaulted in many countries.[3] Doctors and nurses have been attacked by pelting stones in many places and have suffered injuries. US President Donald Trump has created a wrong notion among the population of the country by referring to the virus as the ‘Chinese virus.’ The asian-American community in the United States has worse things to fear at the moment than just the virus itself. They are being subjected to even more hate and discrimination since the onset of the pandemic.[4] People are essentially taking on the online platform as well to spread hate and fuel racism.[5]

Media has a huge role in spreading bigotry and communal venom. Media has time and again referred to the Muslim dominant neighborhoods as ‘Mini Pakistan’ and ‘Terrorist Adda’ ever since the Tablighi Jamaat incident[6] took place. The media version of the incident has fueled religious hate in the country and the Muslim country of India is being discriminated against and being blamed for the outbreak in India.

Some of the groups that are essentially being discriminated against are health workers, certain ethnic and racial groups, particularly the people of Asian descent, the police, recovered patients, people who have recently traveled, and sanitary workers. These stigmatized groups are unnecessarily being subjected to hate, avoidance, and rejection which is resulting in social isolation and stigma. This stigma is causing hurtful effects on the mental health of the people who are working on the front line to fight this pandemic. This whole scenario is resulting in the stigmatized groups not seeking essential health care as they are desperately trying to avoid any sort of racist remarks against them. The social stigma is driving them to hide their illness in all attempts to prevent discrimination against them. This undoubtedly provokes dangerous threats to the health and the social behavior of the target groups. It is therefore very essential to address this social stigma associated with COVID-19.

Addressing the Social Stigma

As much as it is necessary to protect these stigmatized groups from prejudice, it is also important to take note of the fact that it is not just harming the people from the mentioned specific groups but the population as a whole. Stigma and fear associated with COVID—19 pose an immense threat to the overall response that is being aimed for.

In this context, it is of great significance that we do our part which is educating ourselves and the people around and doing away with the harmful misinformation. It is important to realize that although the disease is highly contagious, it is possible to protect ourselves without projecting hate and fear. Simple precautions like frequently washing our hands and social distancing will help us a great deal. However, it is also worth noting that if anybody does catch the disease despite all precautions, they are not the ones to blame and if anything, they need our support and empathy more than ever. Likewise, it is also necessary to educate ourselves on the matter that even though the disease is severe in nature and is taking the lives of millions around the globe; it is 100% possible to recover from it. Additionally, it should be highlighted that people of Asian descent do not have a higher risk of catching the virus.

Healthcare workers are putting their lives on the line to help us all fight the pandemic. Similar to how our role in the situation is to practice social distancing and stay in isolation, their role is to tend to us in all matters of health emergencies right now. Therefore, instead of stigmatizing them, we need to respect them for their services and provide our cooperation without impeding their work or cause any harm to their mental and emotional health.[7] Along with doctors, nurses, and health professionals, the hard work and selfless service of our sanitation workers also need to be acknowledged and appreciated.

What can the Media and Public Health Officials Do?

1. Keep the records of the patients in recovery and those under a part of the contact investigation confidential.
2. Promote awareness without raising fear.
3. Share information that is sure to be true and accurate.
4. Speak out against the alienation of communities and negative associations of persons with the disease and educate people.
5. Reach out to the stigmatized groups and provide them with support and make them feel included.
6. Educate the people on the need for providing social support to those who have recently traveled from another country and prevent using words that might fuel xenophobia.

What can YOU do?

1. Check the authenticity of any information in regard to COVID-19 from reliable sources before sharing them.
2. Share only true and authentic information. The facts can be checked from the websites of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, and the World Health Organization.
3. Acknowledge and appreciate the selfless service provided by health care professionals, police, and sanitation workers. Cooperate with them by doing your part and educate the people around you about the same.
4. Provide support to people virtually by sharing true stories of recovery.
5. Avoid spreading panic and educate people with the right information.
6. Avoid associating any racial or religious group with the disease and ask the others to do the same.

In a Nutshell

Social stigma is one of the most common and yet highly harmful concepts that exist, especially in cases of public health emergencies. The current COVID-19 pandemic is no different. In a few months of the spread of the disease, there have been various cases of physical and mental assault against certain groups of people just because they are thought to be associated with a higher risk of the disease. This is a direct result of misinformation and lack of knowledge on the issue. In this time of extreme distress, it is important to address this issue for primarily two reasons: a) make the stigmatized groups comfortable and feel included and b) prevent any hindrance in the overall response expected after taking all the precautions. It is important to educate ourselves and the people around us on the right facts and prevent spreading any false information. It is also important to recognize and respect the selfless services of those working on the front line to fight against this pandemic. Fighting against the illness is not entirely possible without combating the issue of social stigma associated with it. To sum up, everything that has been stated, it is of utmost significance to recognize the harmful effects of social stigma and fight against it. Therefore, health workers, government officials, media, and the common man should take all necessary steps to eliminate it from society at the earliest. This will contribute to the elimination of the disease itself.

[1]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Addressing Stigma (2017), Source Link
[2]Social stigma associated with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), (2020), Source Link
[3]The New York Times, ‘Afraid to Be a Nurse’: Health Workers Under Attack (2020), Source Link.
[4]The New York Times, Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety (2020), Source Link
[5]The Washington Post, As the Coronavirus spreads, so does online racism targeting Asians, new research shows (2020), Source Link
[6] BBC News, Tablighi Jamaat: The Group Blamed for new COVID-19 Outbreak in India (2020), Source Link
[7]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reducing Stigma (2020), Source Link