Selected Publications

COVID-19: Simple Answers to Top Questions - Risk Communication Field Guide Questions and Key Messages

State and Territorial Health Officials (S/THOs) play a critical role in the health security of our nation. The demands are many, and the margin of error is small. S/THOs must translate the best available public health evidence and science into actionable policy advice for elected leaders and other cabinet agencies. They must act as a credible, timely source of accurate information to a variety of stakeholders. Equally important, the SHO and the public health team must convey a clear, compassionate, and caring message to the public to motivate appropriate protective behaviors without instilling inappropriate fear. All of this must occur while leading and managing complex public health agencies strained under the demands of an emergency response.

The role is all the more complex in a rapidly evolving situation in which many unknowns remain. Overconfidence or utilizing an inaccurate mental model of an issue can lead to missteps and diminish public trust. It is critical for this reason to be very cognizant of what is known, what is unknown, what is controllable, and what is not controllable. This humility allows rapid adjustments to strategies and tactics and allows an accurate and credible message to be delivered to and received by the public and policymakers.

ASTHO worked closely with Drs. Randall Hyer and Vincent Covello from the Center for Risk Communication/CrisisCommuncation.net to develop this communication guide to assist S/THOs in preparing to communicate with the public, media, and policymakers about COVID-19. It is openly acknowledged that knowledge of COVID-19 is rapidly evolving and subject to many uncertainties.

State and territorial health officials prioritized more than 70+ questions on COVID-19 for which these message map style answers were developed. Of course, a S/THO’s judgment will determine the most appropriate response to an issue in his or her jurisdiction. It is our hope that this messaging guide can provide S/THOs with a baseline of consistent messages across our nation.

COVID-19: Simple Answers to Top Questions will be modified and updated as events evolve, and more is known.

AUTHORS:

Vincent T Covello, MA, PhD and Randall N Hyer MD, PhD, MPH | Association of State and Territorial Health Officials – Washington, DC

PUBLICATION DATE:

November 2020

Other Scientific, Peer-Reviewed Publications Authored by Dr. Covello and Dr. Hyer

Risk Communication. In: Environmental Health: From Global to Local, 3rd Edition. Frumkin H, editor. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Wiley. (in press)

Risk Communication. In: Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society. Cockerham W, Dingwall R, Quah S, editors. Oxford: Blackwell. 2014

Disaster Risk Communication. In: Textbook in Disaster Medicine. David S, editor. Wolters Kluwer. 2012

Guidance on Developing Effective Radiological Risk Communication Messages: Effective Message Mapping and Risk Communication with the Public in Nuclear Plant Emergency Planning Zones. NUREG/CR-7033. Washington, DC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 2011

Developing an Emergency Risk Communication (ERC)/Joint Information Center (JIC) Plan for a Radiological Emergency. NUREG/CR-7032. Washington, DC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 2011

Risk Communication, Radiation, and Radiological Emergencies: Strategies, Tools, and Techniques. Health Physics. 2011 Nov; 101(5):511-30

Effective Risk Communications for the Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Threat: Communication Guidance for Local Leaders Responding to the Threat Posed by IEDs and Terrorism. Department of Homeland Security. Washington, DC. 2010

The Expedition Returns: Roles and Responsibilities. In: Expedition Medicine. Bledsoe G, Townsend DA, Manyak MM, editors. Cambridge University Press. 2009

Risk Communication. In: Environmental Health: From Global to Local. 2nd ed. Frumkin H, editor. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Wiley. 2009: 988-1008

Current Issues in Adolescent Immunization. Vaccine. 2008; 5:4120-34

Strategies for Overcoming Challenges to Effective Risk Communication. In: Handbook of Risk and Crisis Communication. Heath R, O’Hair H, editors. New York: Routledge. 2008

Be Prepared to Use the Hot Mic to Counter Pandemics. Medscape General Medicine. 2007; 9(4):39

Effective Risk and Crisis Communication During Water Security Emergencies. National Homeland Security Research Center, United States Environmental Protection Agency: Washington, DC. 2007

Risk Communication and Message Mapping: A New Tool for Communicating Effectively in Public Health Emergencies and Disasters. Journal of Emergency Management. 2006; 4(3):25-40

Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Infection in Humans. New England Journal of Medicine. 2005; 353:1374-85

Risk Communication. In: Environmental Health: From Global to Local. 1st ed. Frumkin H, editor. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Wiley. 2005:988-1008

Best Practice in Public Health Risk and Crisis Communication. Journal of Health Communication. 2003; (8)

Women’s Perceptions of the Risks of Age Related Diseases, Including Breast Cancer: A Research Study. Health Communication. 2002; 14(3):377-395

Out of Africa, Medscape General Medicine. 2001; 3:3

Risk Communication: Evolution and Revolution. In: Solutions to an Environment in Peril. Wolbarst A, editor. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press. 2001:164-178

Risk Communication, the West Nile Virus Epidemic, and Bio-terrorism: Responding to the Communication Challenges Posed by the Intentional or Unintentional Release of a Pathogen in an Urban Setting. Journal of Urban Health. 2001 June; 78(2):382-391

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Reacquiring and Using Adenovirus Types 4 and 7 Vaccines in Naval Recruits. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2000; 5:613-8

Risk Perception, Risk Communication, and EMF Exposure: Tools and Techniques for Communicating Risk Information. In: Risk Perception, Risk Communication, and its Application to EMF Exposure. Matthes R, Bernhardt JH, Repacholi MH, editors. International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. 1999:179-214

Telemedical experiences at an Antarctic station. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 1999; 5:S87-9

Genetic Privacy Legislation: Two Views. An Issue Who’s Time Has Come. Molecular Diagnosis. 1997; 2:85-7

Risk Communication. Occupational Health Practice, 4th ed. In: Occupational Health Practice, 4th ed. Waldon A, Edling C, editors. Oxford: Butterworth/Heinemann. 1997

The Determinants of Trust and Credibility in Environmental Risk Communication: An Empirical Study. Risk Analysis. 1997; 17(1):43-54

Industry Response to SARA Title III: Pollution Prevention, Risk Reduction, and Risk Communication. Risk Analysis. 1996; 16(1):57-66

Risk Assessment Methods: Approaches for Quantifying Health, Safety, and Environmental Risks. Plenum Publishing Co.: New York. l993

Risk Communication and Occupational Medicine. Journal of Occupational Medicine. 1993; 35(1):18-9

Risk Communication, Trust and Credibility. Health and Environmental Digest. 1992; 6(1):1-4

Risk Communication: An Emerging Area of Health Communication Research. In: Communication Yearbook. Deetz, SA, editor. Newbury Park CA: Sage Publications. 1992; 15:359-73

Communicating about Environmental Risks: How the Public Uses and Perceives Information Sources. Health Education Quarterly. 1991; 18(3):349-361

Evaluating Risk Communication Programs. Environmental Protection Agency: Washington, DC. 1991

High-Resolution Linkage Mapping for Susceptibility Genes in Human Polygenic Disease: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus and Chromosome 11q. American Journal of Human Genetics. 1991; 48:243-257

Molecular Studies of the Genetic Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes. D. Phil. (Ph.D.) Thesis, University of Oxford, UK. 1991

The Insulin-IGF2 Region Encodes a Gene Implicated in HLA-DR4 Dependent Diabetes Susceptibility. Nature. 1991; 354:155-9

Public Knowledge and Perceptions of Chemical Risks in Six Communities. EPA 230-01-90-074, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. 1990

Risk Comparisons and Risk Communication. In: Communicating Risks to the Public: International Perspectives. Kasperson R and Stallen P, editors. Boston: Kluwer/Reidel. 1990

What We Should Know about Making Risk Comparisons. Risk Analysis. 1990

Issues and Problems in Using Risk Comparisons for Communicating Right- to- Know Information on Chemical Risks. Environmental Science and Technology. 1989; 23:1444-9

Communicating about the Health Risks of Radioactive Waste. Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine. 1989

Effective Risk Communication: The Role and Responsibility of Governmental and Nongovernmental Organizations. Plenum Publishing Co.: New York. 1989

Issues and Problems in Using Risk Comparisons for Communicating Right-to-Know Information on Chemical Risks. Environmental Science and Technology. 1989; 33(12):1444-9

Medical Waste: Risk Perception and Communication. Medical Waste. Albany: State University of New York Press. 1989

Principles of Effective Risk Communication. In: Effective Risk Communication: The Role and Responsibility of Governmental and Nongovernmental Organizations. Covello V, McCallum D, Pavlova M, editors. Plenum Publishing Co.: New York. 1989

Risk Analysis: A Guide to Principles and Methods for Analyzing Health and Environmental Risks. White House Council on Environmental Quality: Washington, DC. 1989

What the Public Thinks about Environmental Data. EPA Journal. 1989; 15(3)

Informing People about the Risks of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering. In: Safety Assurance for Environmental Releases of Genetically Engineered Organisms. Fiksel J, Covello V, editors. Berlin and New York, Springer-Verlag. 1988

On the role of persistent signaling and autocatalysis in the T-cell independent immune response. Mathematical Biosciences. 1986; 78:193-202

All consulting and training performed by our experts is and will always be confidential.

Capability Areas

Disease & Illness Outbreaks

Drug Recalls & Clinical Trials

Natural Disasters

Terrorist Threats

Risk Communication Training & Consultation

Accident & Hazardous Materials Release and Disposal

Security Breaches & Sensitive Information Leaks

Criminal Activity, Scandals, and Malpractice

“[Hyer and Covello’s ‘Communication Guide on Ebola’]: A ‘baseline for consistent messaging,’ the 119-page guide is a communicator’s dream.”

“Thank you very much for the remarkable and timely training in risk communication. Your executive session was superbly presented and gratefully received. It is rare that the entire command may get together in such a way and benefit from spending a day with the leading expert in high concern low trust communication techniques. I am certain that we will utilize these risk communication techniques, now and into the future. Please accept my since thanks for a job well done.”

“Thanks again for your thoughtful kindness and support during challenging times.”

“Your brainstorming helped me keep focused and on message. Thanks.”

“The truth is that your help with Ebola swung the re-election for the Governor.”

“Really excellent in breadth, depth and thoughtful but simplified, direct messaging. A very useful tool.”

An Expert-Led Network

Drs. Covello and Hyer co-authored the popular World Health Organization handbook Effective Media Communication during Public Health Emergenices, as well as the widely-used communication guide for the 50 US states, Top Questions on Ebola: Simple Answers Developed by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Dr. Vincent T. Covello

Dr. Vincent T. Covello has over 30 years’ experience in high-concern, risk, and crisis communication. He has advised over 400 of the Fortune 500 companies as well as over 500 government agencies on issues as diverse as Fukushima, Deepwater Horizon, 9/11, and pandemic disease outbreaks. Dr. Covello has been a professor at Brown University and at Columbia University’s School of Public Health. He has been a Study Director at the National Academy of Sciences and a Program Director at the National Science Foundation. He has published over 150 scientific, peer-reviewed articles and 25 books on risk and crisis communication. Dr. Covello received his BA with honors and MA from Cambridge University and his PhD from Columbia University. He is a co-founder and Principal of CrisisCommunication.net and the founder and Director of the Center for Risk Communication based in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Dr. Randall N. Hyer

Randall N. Hyer, MD, PhD, MPH has more than 35 years’ experience as a doctor in public health. Dr. Randy has been educating people on topics ranging from disease outbreaks like COVID-19, Zika, bird flu, vaccines, as well as radiation and common medical conditions. As the Senior Vice President for Global Medical at Moderna, Dr. Hyer helped develop, communicate, and manage the global rollout of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. In 2017, he was pivotal in engaging the scientific, medical and policy communities to help achieve FDA approval of a new adult hepatitis B vaccine (HEPLISAV-B), the first vaccine using a truly novel adjuvant. He is the Vice President for Risk Communication at the National Council for Radiation Protection and Measurement, has advised the National Academy of Sciences, and lectures at Harvard University. Dr. Hyer has served as a U.S. Senate staffer, WHO medical officer and military liaison, and over 10 years as an executive in the private sector. He graduated with Distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and earned the MD from Duke and PhD from Oxford. Dr. Hyer is a co-founder and Principal of CrisisCommunication.net and the Deputy Director of the Center for Risk Communication based in New York City and Washington, D.C.

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