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Pandemic fatigue impedes mitigation of COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Zhanwei Du1,2, Lin Wang3, Songwei Shan1,2

  • 1World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 000000, China.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|November 23, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Pandemic fatigue may have reduced the effectiveness of public health measures during Hong Kong's fourth COVID-19 wave. Mitigating this fatigue is crucial for controlling future outbreaks by maintaining protective behaviors.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Hong Kong implemented strict public health and social measures (PHSMs) to control four COVID-19 waves.
  • The fourth wave (starting Oct 2020) was prolonged compared to the third wave (July-Sept 2020).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate pandemic fatigue as a factor in the reduced impact of PHSMs during the fourth COVID-19 wave in Hong Kong.
  • To quantify the epidemiological impact of pandemic fatigue on transmission dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted weekly random-digit dialing telephone surveys with 500-1,000 residents (May 2020-Feb 2021).
  • Analyzed risk perception and self-reported protective behaviors.
  • Utilized mathematical models to integrate population behaviors and assess transmission impact.

Main Results:

  • An increase of 100 daily cases correlated with higher worry (6.60%) and avoidance of social gatherings (3.77%).
  • Pandemic fatigue was associated with a 0.32 reduction in the weekly mean reproduction number.
  • The fourth wave could have been 14% smaller without pandemic fatigue.

Conclusions:

  • Pandemic fatigue is a significant factor influencing the effectiveness of public health measures during COVID-19.
  • Mitigating pandemic fatigue is essential for sustaining population protective behaviors and controlling viral transmission.
  • Findings highlight the need for strategies to address public fatigue in long-term epidemic management.

Keywords:
COVID-19mathematical modelpandemic fatigue

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