"Do the figures released so far justify such a declaration?"
"Do the figures released so far justify such a declaration?"
Part 1
President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a nationwide public health emergency has brought in its wake a number of issues which need to be seriously looked into.
This, given that quite apart from those under quarantine numbering just more than 400 people (290 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and 160 from Macau) and the six confirmed infected cases, one of whom has died, we have not really been as affected as other countries who have not gone as far as declaring a national emergency.
Instead of calming the waters as has been the effort since the outbreak was reported to have migrated to Philippine soil, the declaration at this time may have only unduly elevated the level of concern among the citizenry.
After all, putting the country under a Code Red situation means that things are not as calm and quiet or under control as our health officials would like us to believe. As explained, Code Red is the highest level of medical alert imposed on a community or a country signalling to one and all that, first, there is a strong possibility that the COVID-19 will break out considerably so everybody be informed, educated and prepared to combat the disease. Second, the nation’s resources must be readied to combat the spread and negative impact of the disease. Third, the nation must come around together and ensure that no one is left behind.
One medical journal noted that “technically, there’s no formal definition for a “Code.” Doctors however often use the term as slang for a cardiopulmonary arrest, happening to a patient in a hospital or clinic, requiring a team of providers (sometimes called a “code team”) to rush to the specific location and begin immediate resuscitative efforts. A Code Red in medical terms as in most emergencies is the highest level of alert issued to confront a deadly threat.
Still, as one pundit asked, do the figures released so far justify such a declaration? Or, as Senator Ping Lacson noted, is the DoH under reporting the actual situation?
Recalling that the first tissues taken from suspected COVID-19 cases were sent to Australia, Lacson asked whether we have enough test kits to cover a decent portion of our population. Which, if taken to its logical conclusion, begs the question of preparedness on the part not just of the DoH but of local governments, medical practitioners, public and private, and other responders and health workers who need to be deployed as first responders in the event “community transmission” takes place.
Of course, we cannot and should not simply shrug things off even with the calming figures issued by the DoH compared with, say, Singapore or Thailand or even South Korea. Obviously, ensuring the least possible damage to life and limb of COVID-19 is very important to all of us. None of us want to get sick with any illness, let alone with a virus which origin, deadliness and cure we have yet to understand. We do not want unwarranted disruptions in our lives and, of course, the entire country if not the world. We do not want this to be an added burden to an already overburdened socio-economic environment which is already about to break out from the seams. We want to get to the bottom of this issue, secure the necessary preventive measures and long term cure and move on to address the other basic concerns of our day-to-day existence.
Which is why we get anxiety attacks if we listen to the statements of various officials and agencies urging one and all not to panic but could not provide answers to the basic issues and educate us on what needs to be done by one and all from the poorest to the richest and from the littlest communities to the big cities. Of course, we fear the unknown and the uncertainty it brings. But what we are concerned even more are the mish-mash of information signifying nothing being blurted by a caravan of officials who seem to be more interested in hearing their voices than saying the truth about our situation.
As one columnist noted, at the very least we should realize that “this is not the End of Days virus that some have imagined.” Reports continue to unfold around the world that this new virus was spreading possibly longer than initially believed and that many more individuals have been infected without even knowing it. Doctors in various countries have noted that some of the known cases are severe, but many mild cases exist and even symptomless cases are likely to be found. Most experts have in part come out saying that although spreading faster than most viruses and possibly deadlier than the ones we earlier encountered like SARS and MERS, COVID-19 still belongs to the family of corona viruses like the seasonal flu and we should take it up from there to make our own determination and, yes, appreciation of its medical implications. (Continued on Wednesday)