Hawaii shares the stories of COVID-19 survivors to encourage social distancing
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Photo by Pascal POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP via Getty Images.
HONOLULU — Today, the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) launched a new campaign featuring stories from local COVID-19 patients in efforts to appeal to Hawai‘i residents who are not wearing masks or social distancing.
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The “Live With No Regrets” campaign highlights patients and their families who share personal stories of how getting COVID-19 has impacted their lives.
Among others, DOH shared the story of Gaualofa “Lofa” Nua, a man who spent seven weeks in the hospital and ended up on a ventilator. Nua says he still requires an oxygen concentrator today.
“It’s been quite a journey. I’m still having issues now with breathing, and more than half of my lungs are still scarred,” he said. “Going from a healthy person to learning that your heart stopped twice, that your lungs collapsed—that makes you look at life from a different perspective.”
The impact of the virus on family and loved ones is also woven into the campaign, says DOH.
“It went from ‘I just talked to you yesterday’ to ‘he needs life support’—everything was failing so quickly,” shared Nua’s wife, Tanya. “As a family member, that’s the hardest part.”
Healthcare workers who have been impacted by the virus also participated in the campaign.
Stories from the campaign are scheduled to air on broadcast and radio and be placed in print, digital, social and streaming platforms through the end of December.
To watch the stories of these COVID-19 survivors, click here.
