Abstract:
As COVID-19 continues to threaten local and global health, there are
increased reports that the protracted COVID-19 pandemic is causing
pandemic fatigue throughout the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines pandemic fatigue as demotivation and exhaustion
to follow recommended infection prevention and control (IPC) measures
and decreased efforts to seek COVID-19-related information. While
this is an expected natural response to a prolonged public health crisis,
the pandemic fatigue and resultant complacency have the potential to
undermine the efforts to control the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
This is particularly the case as new and more transmissible variants, such
as the Delta and Omicron, continue to emerge. Complacency is described
as a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some
potential danger. Within the context of COVID-19, new SARS-CoV-2
infections continue to affect the populations globally, but the desire to
follow protective guidelines seems to be waning. The WHO has warned
that pandemic complacency can be as dangerous as the virus itself.
In this correspondence, we give our perspectives on the potential drivers
of pandemic fatigue and complacency in Zimbabwe. We also provide
suggestions to effectively deal with both to minimize widespread com-
munity transmission and the resultant impact on the public health sector
in Zimbabwe.
