How you can talk about the end of the pandemic

February 8, 2023

Dear Friends:

I recently received some messaging guidance from the Public Health Communications Collective on how to talk about the planned end of the COVID public health emergency. You may find it very helpful in talking to members of your community.

The PHCC recommends the use of "bridging statements." In short, that's a structure to guide conversation back to what you want to talk about. You've probably heard them used in press conference, where the speaker says something like "That's a really good question, but first, let me tell you this..."

Bridging statements acknowledge the question being asked or topic of conversation. They can also start by validating the feelings behind a question. Then they bridge, or shift, the conversation. Finally, they continue with the message you need to get across.

I've adapted the PHCC's suggestions for your use below:

Acknowledge: I'll let you know more about what the end of the pandemic means for us when I hear it. (Bonus points: "the WCC has been very good about providing us with reliable information through the pandemic. When they update us, I'll pass it along to you.")

Bridge: Right now, you should know that the best ways to protect ourselves from COVID haven't changed.

Continue: We have the best tools available to stay healthy. That's why we're better off than we were a year ago. You should get vaccinated and get a bivalent booster, test frequently, stay home when you're sick, and wear a high-quality mask when levels are high. That's how we stay safe and bring COVID down.

Another version might go something like this:

We're all eager for COVID to be over. It has been a long couple of years for everyone.

But even though the official emergency is ending, COVID itself hasn't gone away. We need to keep using some of the same strategies to protect ourselves that we've employed over the past couple of years.

That means: you should get vaccinated and get a bivalent booster, test frequently, stay home when you're sick, and wear a high-quality mask when levels are high. Yes, it stinks to have to stick to the same old precautions. But using them now might mean we have to use less of them in the future.

I made some graphics with a condensed version of this messaging for you. (See below.) But the best idea is for you to work out your own bridging statement/s. Ask yourself: What will my people want to ask or say? What do they need to hear? Make a connection between the two points. It's simple, and useful in lots of situations.

So there's how to get back to helpful public health messaging. Now let's look at some talking points for our new situation.

The official end of the pandemic is going to be complicated and messy. Just as it has touched many different aspects of our lives, it has changed many different forms of government policy.

The very short version is that the federal government is going to stop paying for a lot of things related to COVID. That has some real implications for health equity, as I pointed out last week. It also has very practical implications.

Kaitlyn Jetelina and Caitlyn Rivers break down how government policy will change post-emergency. Here's the top line, and follow the link for all the details.

After May, insurers may stop paying for rapid antigen tests. (Those are the ones most people use at home.) You might want to stock up on free tests before the deadline.

The federal government will pay for COVID vaccines until its stockpile runs out. After that, they will be covered through insurance, though in what form is still a bit unclear. Now is the time to get a bivalent booster shot.

We may know more about an annual COVID booster shot, similar to flu shots, after February.

Like vaccines, the government will keep paying for Paxlovid until supplies run out. Then it's market rate. As Jetelina and Rivers say, this could be a problem in 2024, after government stocks expire.

Monoclonal antibodies are probably going away. Their effectiveness doesn't last for long because of all the COVID variants. So manufacturers don't want to produce them unless the government agrees to buy them. That means one less form of protection available to vulnerable individuals.

COVID surveillance will likely be scaled back dramatically. Some parts may go away altogether. We're going to be flying blind to some extent. (Among other things, this means the WCC COVID Risk Map probably won't be updated as often.)

Expanded Medicaid coverage will end beginning in April.

Like I said, it's complicated. As more information becomes available, I will keep you up-to-date. In the meantime, the important thing to keep in mind is that even though the government's COVID response is changing, ours should not. We still have a responsibility to protect one another as best we reasonably can. That applies particularly to the vulnerable people who can't protect themselves.

(See how I made that bridge?)

I do want to hear from you! Let me know if you have questions about any of this. If you want to share your thoughts on the end of the pandemic emergency, that's fine too.

Stay safe and stay together,

Rev. Daniel Schultz

WCC Community Health

Program Director