a. The surge of COVID-19 cases has been accompanied by glaring racial disparities in
COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality; disparities in outcomes have been most
pronounced for African Americans who, despite comprising only 13% of the US population
account for about 30% of all COVID-19 cases in states for which race-related data are
reported. Infectious disease modelers, epidemiologists, and other public health experts
believe that COVID-19 is here to stay and suggest that annual surges may persist through
2025 and beyond. With vaccine hesitancy and delay compromising our ability to attain herd
immunity, the best means for controlling the spread of COVID-19 according to public
health experts is mass adoption of the 3 Ws (Wear a mask, Wait 6 feet apart, and Wash
your hands) and increasing awareness of one's status through testing. As such,
non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are currently our best options for viral control
and containment. NPIs that are community-driven and developed in collaboration with
diverse partners, including community members, public health agencies, and researchers
may offer an acceptable and effective approach to reducing COVID-19 transmission and
addressing individual and socio-structural barriers that lead to worse COVID-19-related
outcomes among African Americans. Our study goals are to use a crowdsourcing open call to
identify exceptional ideas (e.g., messages, videos, communication and dissemination
strategies) that promote COVID-19 testing and encourage the public to practice the 3 Ws,
referred to as health-promotive behaviors.