Role of public health communication during covid-19 pandemic in India

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) speedy spread created a state of panic across the nations both at the level of government and people. Media became the major source of information about the novel coronavirus and significantly contributed in awareness creation. However, some of the news related to the coronavirus published in last one year has induced fear and anxiety causing psychological stress among all sections of society. The present study focuses on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological health of people which resulted in suicidal deaths in states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India. The study found that most of the suicidal deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic happened because of the reasons such as stress due to corona virus infection, loss of family head due to corona infection leading to loss of bread earner and financial crisis caused due to loss of livelihood because of the mobility restrictions and lockdowns. The study identified that people in the age group covering 20-50 years is the most affected due to the pandemic situation in the study areas. The study concludes with the policy framework suggestions required for effective public health communication during pandemics.