A new COVID-19 awareness campaign launched this week, and state and local leaders are hoping that it will bring Nebraskans together to help slow the spread of the virus.
The Douglas County Health Department, Omaha Community Foundation, Nebraska State Department of Education and Nebraska Children and Families Foundation teamed up to develop the 'Do Right, Right Now' campaign. The organizers say the campaign is an urgent call to action to get, "back to a safe, healthy, and active lifestyle for which everyone is longing."
“As the 7-day rolling average in new cases is rising in Douglas County, we wanted to create a unified message to our community on simple ways all individuals can do their part to help stop the spread,” said Dr. Adi Pour, Health Director with Douglas County Health Department. “Initially focusing on Douglas County, we felt the need for the campaign to extend to all of our Nebraska neighbors, transitioning this initiative into a statewide effort.”
They say the objective of the campaign is to raise awareness of different ways Nebraskans can help protect themselves and others from the virus. Organizers say the collective goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate the spread within communities, while shining a light on the impact the pandemic has on mental health.
Keys to the campaign focus on wearing a mask, washing your hands and practicing proper social distancing. The 'Do Right, Right Now' campaign is slated to run for roughly 6 to 9 months and will encourage actions such as getting a flu shot, getting a COVID test if symptoms are present, and getting a vaccine once available.
During the virtual launch meeting on Thursday, Nebraska Medicine's Dr. James Lawler said that if cases continue rising at the rate they are now, there will be 2,000 people hospitalized with the virus in two to three weeks. "Given that we only have about 3,200 staff beds to provide critical care services and med surge services for adults in the state, you can see that that is an unsustainable proposition, trying to manage that number of cases. I can tell you that I've been in mass casualty situations in combat zones in Afghanistan. I've been in Ebola treatment centers, in very austere conditions, and I have never been as frightened about the status of the health system as I am about the status of our health system in Nebraska right now."
As of November 17th, the COVID-19 positivity rate was 23.4% statewide compared to a 2.4% positivity rate when the pandemic began. In highly populated areas, the positivity rates climb even higher. Douglas County is at 36.3%, Buffalo County is at 44.9%, and Scottsbluff County is at 68.2%, making for some of the highest positivity rates in the nation.
“As we work together to slow the spread of the virus, it’s on all of us to take personal responsibility for wearing a mask, washing our hands, and watching our distance,” said Governor Ricketts. “This campaign will encourage individuals to be proactive in doing what is right and taking the necessary precautions. It will help our schools and businesses stay open. On behalf of the state of Nebraska, thank you to all partnering organizations and media outlets for donating their time and resources to deliver a positive, yet critical message for people to rally around.”
The campaign will include messaging in radio, television, print, digital, and outdoor media statewide. All media outlets involved have come together to donate ad and inventory space to support this campaign in order to share one consistent, unified message.
To learn more visit DoRightRightNow.org.
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