Social Media Efficacy in Crisis Management: Effectiveness of Non-pharmaceutical Interventions to Manage COVID-19 Challenges

Abstract

The new identified virus COVID-19 has become one of the most contagious diseases in human history. The ongoing coronavirus has created severe threats to global mental health, which have resulted in crisis management challenges and international concerns related to health issues. As of September 9, 2021, there were over 223.4 million patients with COVID-19, including 4.6 million deaths and over 200 million recovered patients reported worldwide, which has made the COVID-19 outbreak one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. The aggressive public health implementations endorsed various precautionary safety and preventive strategies to suppress and minimize COVID-19 disease transmission. The second, third, and fourth waves of COVID-19 continue to pose global challenges to crisis management, as its evolution and implications are still unfolding. This study posits that examining the strategic ripostes and pandemic experiences sheds light on combatting this global emergency. This study recommends two model strategies that help reduce the adverse effects of the pandemic on the immune systems of the general population. This present paper recommends NPI interventions (non-pharmaceutical intervention) to combine various measures, such as the suppression strategy (lockdown and restrictions) and mitigation model to decrease the burden on health systems. The current COVID-19 health crisis has influenced all vital economic sectors and developed crisis management problems. The global supply of vaccines is still not sufficient to manage this global health emergency. In this crisis, NPIs are helpful to manage the spillover impacts of the pandemic. It articulates the prominence of resilience and economic and strategic agility to resume economic activities and resolve healthcare issues. This study primarily focuses on the role of social media to tackle challenges and crises posed by COVID-19 on economies, business activities, healthcare burdens, and government support for societies to resume businesses, and implications for global economic and healthcare provision disruptions. This study suggests that intervention strategies can control the rapid spread of COVID-19 with hands-on crisis management measures, and the healthcare system will resume normal conditions quickly. Global economies will revitalize scientific contributions and collaborations, including social science and business industries, through government support.

Keywords: COVID-19; crisis management; health related information; non-pharmaceutical interventions; social media use.

Figure 1

COVID-19: Top 10 most affected countries (7-day moving average), as of July 18, 2021. Source: WHO and JHU COVID-19 datasets.

Figure 2

COVID-19: new confirmed positive cases (7-Day Moving Average) by March 12, 2021. Source: WHO and JHU COVID-19 information.

Figure 3

COVID-19 waves, positive cases in the USA, Brazil, India, and Czechia, July 18, 2021. Source: WHO and JHU CSSE data on COVID-19 disease.

Figure 4

Total recorded COVID-19 cases/million vs. how quickly these figures double as of July 18, 2021.

Figure 5

COVID-19 identified cases vs. deaths due to coronavirus in the top seven regions, globally. Source: JHU and WHO dashboard.

Figure 6

Distribution of the cases in various countries worldwide (July 18, 2021). Source: Data provided by World Health Organization related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).