Most Americans say they will continue preventive measures after COVID-19 pandemic ends
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Most adults in the United States intend to continue to adhere to preventive measures — such as hand washing, masking and physical distancing — even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, according to results of a national survey.
“More than anything else, the responses to this survey reflect just how seriously the pandemic has upended so many people's lives,” Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, chief quality and patient safety officer at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Healio Primary Care.
Gonsenhauser and colleagues surveyed more than 2,000 adults. Results showed that after the pandemic ends:
- 72% plan to continue to wear masks in public;
- 80% intend to still avoid crowds; and
- 90% plan to frequently wash their hands and use sanitizer.
Gonsenhauser said he was “surprised and not surprised” by the findings.
“On the one hand, I understand the sort of trauma that we have all been through with the pandemic and how that's going to influence our forward thinking,” he said. “At the same time, I am surprised that so many people are saying that they're going to continue to do these things even after the pandemic is over. That paints a little bit of a more optimistic picture than we're likely to really observe.”
Gonshenhauser also noted the sizeable impact that preventive measures may be having on seasonal influenza.
“When we look at what happened with the flu in the U.S., we are having one of the best flu seasons we have ever seen,” Gonsenhauser said.
According to the CDC, influenza activity is “unusually low.” Most recent data show that of the 554,588 specimens tested by clinical laboratories since September 2020, only 1,316 (0.2%) have been positive for influenza.
“If we can find a way to get that story to resonate with people who would rather not get as many colds or not to get knocked out of work for a few days with the flu, the low flu rates can help people realize that these precautions are not just about COVID-19, but a wide variety of viral infections.”
References:
CDC. Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report. Week 40. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#PublicHealthLaboratories. Accessed February 5, 2021.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Survey: Most Americans say they’ll continue health precautions after COVID-19. Accessed February 5, 2021.
Perspective
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Jagdish Khubchandani, MPH, MD, PhD
I have a mixed reaction to this survey.
I am enthused that the majority of the participants are practicing recommended behaviors to prevent COVID-19 transmission and spread. This is commendable as news of COVID-19 vaccines could have filled many with hopes and more people could have dropped their guard, but most people will continue to be cautious.
On the contrary, about a quarter of the people who participated in the survey have not consistently practiced recommended behaviors since CDC guidelines were issued. This is a chronic and refractory issue that must be addressed. We are still amid a deadly pandemic that is killing and affecting thousands of people every day.
It is crucial to reinforce mass media messaging for the behaviors the survey takers were asked about, ask people to practice the recommended behaviors and continue to communicate the profound risk for COVID-19 among the general population. Even if we do all that, we will not see 100% compliance for these behaviors due to a variety of issues such as lack of resources, knowledge, beliefs, ideology, etc. Therefore, we must patiently continue to do our best and promote behavior change.
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