Communicating Coronavirus: Messaging the Vaccine, Variants and Masks

We’re coming to the one-year mark of America’s coronavirus journey and there are several vaccines. New cases, death rates and hospitalizations are down. In addition, hospital doctors are more experienced at treating COVID-19 patients. We’ve turned the corner, right? Maybe.

If anything, the pandemic remains a moving target. Depending on the day, news about the virus, and how Americans are attempting to endure it, is upbeat or depressing and ominous.

There also are a lot of unanswered questions. That’s partly due to the fact that it’s a novel virus, so medical science is learning about it in real-time.

Still, some news is hopeful: new cases in the US are on a steep decline and some 40 million people have received a first dose of vaccine. Some news is depressing.

Something else that contributes to the up-and-down nature of the virus narrative is the country’s multifaceted health system.