Global Perspective and Ways to Combat Stigma Associated with COVID-19

Stigma” is a Greek term originally referring to bodily signs such as a burn or a cut to denote a negative/depreciative condition referred to a person (e.g., being a slave, a criminal, a sinner, or a social outcast) and, therefore, to indicate which people should be “avoided.”1 Currently, stigma is not usually related to a purely physical sign but frequently includes the negative discriminatory thoughts, feelings, and behaviors towards people with certain physical, behavioral, or racial features perceived as displeasing or a threat by other members of the society.1
Since its appearance in December 2019, COVID-19 has fueled fear, anxiety, and panic worldwide, due to its novelty, high infectivity, and absence of effective evidence-based treatment.2, 3 Faced with this blurry and uncertain situation, fear and its associated behaviors are not uncommon human reactions. The wide media coverage of the pandemic has contributed to the spread of the fear of contagion and subsequent stigmatizing behaviors.4 Following the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, people around the world easily adopted stigmatizing beliefs and behaviors towards those diagnosed with COVID-19 and their close contacts and also places, people (e.g., healthcare workers [HCW]), and ethnic groups (e.g., Chinese people) believed to be the cause of the pandemic.5, 6