Communication of Epidemiological Data on Covid-19 In the State of Bahia, Brazil: An Experience Report of The State Epidemiological Surveillance Team

In view of the Covid-19 pandemic scenario, the dissemination of safe and correct information about the disease is essential to raise the population's awareness about preventive measures and to direct public policies to deal with the state of emergency in public health. The objective of this paper is to describe the process of improvement and qualification of communication in the elaboration of Covid-19 epidemiological data in the state of Bahia. Divulgation of the epidemiological data contributed to the dissemination of information thru communication channels in the state of Bahia, and Brazil. Due the evolution of the disease, the need to present data in a more accessible way to the population has become urgent, requiring the team to institute measures to improve their work process to disseminate epidemiological data in a faster and more transparent manner. In contrast to this complex scenario, the permanent effort and dedication to make data consistent comparing to local reality, reliable and accessible, supporting the actions and strategies to fight the pandemic, can guarantee transparency to the population, the commitment of the information made available and the institution of social measures to control the pandemic.


Discussion
The literature indicates that in an ideal conjuncture, those responsible for public biosecurity uses transparency and offer as much information as available to reaffirm, before the media and society, the conduct of a moment of crisis through reason and communicative action (MELO, 2020; VASCONCELOS-SILVA, 2020).
In this sense, the increase in cases and deaths in the short period demonstrate the severity of the disease and its consequences for the health of the population and community, making information a key piece in raising awareness of the adoption of prevention practices.
And this necessity of mediate the mainstream media was indeed present: after the emergence of cases in Brazil and the first death, the main communication vehicles decided to expand the hours dedicated to tele journalism that brought information about the evolution of the disease in the territory, and possible preventive measures, at a time when programs that caused greater agglomeration of people for their production, such as auditorium programs and soap operas, were suspended (RONCALLI, 2020).
In the meantime, to fulfill this social responsibility, there were several challenges and obstacles posed to the continuity of data dissemination: there were instabilities in the information systems that made it difficult to consolidate data, and likewise the content to be published. The Ministry of Health itself presented periods of uncertainty about the epidemiological data it published, which encouraged the construction of a consortium of press vehicles to monitor data in the country (ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO, 2020). In this contrast of narratives, the state health departments provided data for both narratives: the media consortium and the federal government (RONCALLI, 2020).
It is noteworthy that despite all the technological tools implemented to assist in the preparation of information instruments, there was still a permanent need for daily review of all data disclosed. That is, in the consolidation of the bank, feeding into the indicator system and exporting the non-nominal base, each step was reviewed by the team to avoid the risk of errors in some information.
The data elaboration team, on the other hand, went through adversities that range from media pressure, which demand results and information immediately, to the biopsychosocial issues specific to each individual who fought and worked to face this disease.
Researchers in the field of journalism suggest that, whether in the field of communication or health, the role of science is also to produce knowledge and valid questions for the interface between Journalism and the fields of Epidemiology and Collective Health from the understanding of the flow of epidemiological surveillance information (RONCALLI, 2020). Sometimes, the natural time of this flow needed to be enhanced and reduced, in order to account for the immediacy of the events of the facts.
In contrast to this complexity and speed of news related to Covid-19, there was a permanent effort and dedication so that the data were consistent with the local reality, reliable and accessible, subsidizing the actions and strategies to face the pandemic. In this sense, health information instruments have the capacity for change strengthened when contextualized with a management that promotes actions based on a grounded understanding of the analysis of the health situation.

Communication Of Epidemiological Data on Covid-19 In the State of Bahia, Brazil: An Experience Report of The State Epidemiological Surveillance Team
International Journal for Innovation Education and Research, Vol.10 No.9 (2022), pg. 171

Conclusion
In the state of Bahia, the communication experiences showed that the data made available by Sesab guided the mainstream media and the population so that it could guarantee the transparency and commitment of the information made available. The communication of epidemiological data on Covid-19 contributed to the dissemination of information to the communication vehicles in Bahia and Brazil.
The quality of communication and data is directly related to greater awareness of risks, providing recommendations for the adoption of measures to prevent and control this disease, resulting in motivation for changes in population behavior that are still hygiene measures.