Help Desk was created when there were lots of ambiguity among medical personnel and as well as in public. VFAHT decided to create a WhatsApp group of experts from the medical sectors to clear this uncertainty.  COVID-19 Help Desk Managers of VFAHT are providing 24/7 service: authentic guidelines and answering queries of the general public as well as Health Care Personnel.

Help desk managers are

• Navaira Khalid (VFAHT FMH College of Medicine and Dentistry)
• Ali Haider Sukhera (President, Allama Iqbal Medical College)
• Farzeen Fatma Syed (President, Aga Khan University)
• Meha Mujeeb (President, Allama Iqbal Medical College)
• Sakina Batool (General Secretary, Fatima Jinnah Medical University)
• Arfa Ahmed (Vice President, Allama Iqbal Medical College)
• Umair Haider (Chief Executive Officer VFAHT)
• Ayesha Rehan (President, National Council 2020)
• Aiman Sheikh (Former President National Council)
• Ramsha Zafar (Vice President, VFAHT Sindh)
• Nismat Javed (National Director, Research and Publication)
• Asma Burney (President, Dow University of Medical and Health Sciences)

Due to a lack of awareness regarding corona, a hoax was created, and the purpose of this project was to give the public general information regarding corona. To stop the spread of wrong information was also an objective.
Day1. Release of infographics in English
Day2. Release of infographics in Urdu

We were successful in generating a sense in people regarding corona, its symptoms, and precautions and to stop spreading misinformation.

The novel coronavirus, first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019 quickly spread throughout the world. The first case was detected in Pakistan on February 26, 2020, following which schools and workplaces were shut down and cities went into lockdowns.

Considering this, VFAHT-DUHS’ Zoonotic and Media Division collaborated to conduct a social media awareness campaign regarding coronavirus. The activity covered the following topics:

• What is the coronavirus? How does it spread?
• Symptoms of COVID-19
• Precautionary Measures to be taken
• How to wash your hands properly
• Advisory on wearing a mask (according to WHO)

The activity was a Social Media campaign, as it is the primary medium of awareness during the lockdown. It was initiated on March 9, 2020, on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the VFAHT-DUHS Local council. One poster was uploaded each day covering one of the above-stated topics, in the following sequence:

9th March: What is Coronavirus? How does it spread?

10th March: Symptoms of COVID-19

11th March: Safety Precautions

12th March: How to Wash Hands

14th March: Advisory on wearing a mask

The activity was concluded on 14th March 2020. All information in the posters had been collected by the members of the Zoonotic division and was from authentic sources (WHO, CDC). The posts were shared by Local council members, and the Media division kept a record of the reach and response of each post.

Early March was a time of uncertainty and confusion for many. Information about the symptoms and precautionary methods of COVID-19 was not known to the common person.

As COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by WHO (during the progression of our online activity), VFAHT’s platform served as a source of knowledge and guidance.

VFAHT Volunteers did a Social Media Campaign for awareness about COVID 29 in an easy way. This campaign included Posters, Videos, and Animations in both languages (English and Urdu).  This campaign reached almost 30,000 people on Facebook. Each poster has a reach of 3.4k people.

Awareness Topics Covered:

Local Councils:

Seasonal Flu Vs COVID19 Poster Social Distancing Video Don’t Rush to Hospitals If You Have Mild Symptoms Poster If Symptoms Appears: Procedure to Be Followed Poster Guidance on Self Quarantine Poster Who Should Self Quarantine? Poster Defining Terms Related to Covid19 Poster Covid19 Myths Vs Facts Poster Series How to Properly Wear an N95 Mask (Respirator) Poster Types and Uses of PPE Equipment Poster Testing for Covid-19 | Steps Poster How and When to Wear Mask Video Who Should Self Quarantine Video

Continental Medical College Allama Iqbal Medical College Fatima Jinnah Medical University Shifa Tameer E Millat University Quaid E Azam University Rawalpindi Medical University Dow University of Health Sciences Aga Khan University

A Video Competition was organized by the National Council of VFAHT in relation to COVID-19.

21 Medical Institutes and 12 Non-Medical Institutes participated in this competition. Entries were received in 4 categories:

• Live-action
• Animation 
• GIFs
• Poetry video/music video on COVID-19

150+ Entries were received in which 109 Entries were published according to requirements. 41 Animated, 12 GIFs, 32 Poetry and Music, and 24 Live action videos were published.

The competition was open to all institutions. Entries were judged separately for medical and non-medical institutes in each category. 2 positions holders were announced in each category.

Plasma donation inforgraphics- A collaboration between the Local Councils of VFAHT FJMU and AIMC. The infoposters were being shared on the respective Faceook pages of both LCs. It was aimed at creating awareness about the convalescent plasma donation of healthy and recovered COVID 19 patients. The infoposters answered several FAQs and addressed several myths regarding plasma donation. The overall online campaign was a successful one. A total of 5 posters were shared with a public message.

This was an online campaign. This was consisted into 3 phases

Phase 1. Video on SOPs To Be Followed During Self-Isolation

Phase 2. Poster on How To Boost Immunity

Phase 3. Video on The Management Of Symptoms During Self-Isolation

This campaign was launched on the Facebook and Instagram and it reached a huge audience.