We hang on to social media to get information but we do not master it: Sub-Saharan African communities’ experiences and engagement with the COVID-19 pandemic and related control strategies in Antwerp, Belgium

Abstract Background Evidence shows that pre-existing racial/ethnic disparities in health, sustained by complex and intersecting socio-economic and structural inequities, have widened due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, little attention had been paid to the lived experiences of people in ethnic/racialised minority communities and to the web of causes and effects underlying COVID-19 related suffering. We conducted a study to explore Sub-Saharan African communities’ needs, perceptions, and different experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures in the Antwerp metropolitan area (Belgium), from the perspective of Sub-Saharan African communities in 2020. Methods We conducted a qualitative study with an interpretative ethnographical approach. We used an iterative and participatory methodology: We set up a community advisory board which advised on different stages of the research process. Interviews and a group discussion were conducted online, using a secured web conference account, via telephone, and face-to-face. We analysed the data inductively using a thematic analytical approach. Results People in SSA communities, who mostly used social media for information, struggled with misinformation about the new virus and prevention measures. A big number were prone to misinformation about the origin of the pandemic, risk of infection with COVID-19, and the prevention measures such as testing, contact tracing, and future vaccination. SSA communities were not only affected by the epidemic, but to a larger extent by the control strategies, especially the lockdown. The combination of multiple social and economic disadvantages were significant in shaping people’s experience of the pandemic and its control measures. In turn, these experiences influences people’s perceptions and attitudes, and in some way impaired them to follow some public health COVID-19 prevention guidelines, leading to vicious cycles. Conclusion With the prolonged continuation of the COVID-19 epidemic and widening disparities, it is urgent and important it is to involve ethic/racialised minority communities in response strategies that not only address the needs of SSA communities, but also build on their strengths and agency. Findings from this study may inform future responses to epidemic outbreaks while considering input from ethnic/racialised minorities.