The Importance of Literacy During COVID-19 Pandemic

Literacy skills have always been important, but they are absolutely necessary in this quickly changing world.

Research and data have shown that the COVID-19 information being released to the public is not in a format and language that is fit for individuals with lower literacy skills. This leaves a large group of people vulnerable and has contributed to the spread.

Over a seven-day period in March, when COVID-19 was still rapidly spreading and scientific data had not been confirmed, the top 15 countries with increased spread rates of 900% or more were all countries with low literacy rates.

The connection to low literacy skills and health issues has been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, but unfortunately, it is not a new concern. Individuals with lower literacy skills often have poor health due to the misinterpretation of health information, miscommunication with healthcare professionals, issues following directions given with medicine, and more. These obstacles can also lead to smaller medical problems turning into larger ones and having longer recovery times.

The Literacy Council Gulf Coast has been dedicated to improving literacy for 30 years and understands that the need for literacy is greater now more than ever. We have redesigned our programs to make it safe to continue improving the lives of our students by offering virtual classes. We are also open during our regular hours each day for students & tutors who are healthy, showing no symptoms, and pass temperature checks.

Monday – Thursday: 9 AM – 8 PM

Friday: 9 AM – 5 PM

Saturday – Sunday: Closed

Please give us a call at (239) 676-5202 for more information on our new variety of classes and times.