“Emergency” and “Code Red” are words that can provoke worry and anxiety. But amid the COVID-19 scare gripping not only the Philippines but the world, it is comforting that President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a public health emergency after the Department of Health issued a Code Red alert level this weekend.
These developments ensued after the sixth case of novel coronavirus—and the local transmission of the disease—was confirmed. The first three cases, one of whom died, were all Chinese who had come here from the mainland.
Over the past few days, we learned about the fourth case—a 48-year-old Filipino who worked at a building at the Bonifacio Global City; he had travelled from Japan. The fifth case is a 62-year-old Cainta, Rizal resident who had frequented a prayer hall in San Juan City. He had no recent travel history. The sixth case is his 59-year-old wife. It was this couple’s case that prompted the Health department to confirm that the country is now at a stage of local transmission.
The Palace told Manila Standard that a state of public emergency has been declared after considering all critical factors with the aim of safeguarding the health of the Filipino people.
Code Red means that all hospital personnel are required to report for duty in their respective facilities to provide medical services. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, upon recommending the declaration of a public health emergency, says Code Red ensures that all human and material resources must be made available for duty and deployment.
Further, Code Red, Sub-Level 1 is a “preemptive call to ensure national and local government and public and private healthcare providers can prepare for possible increase in suspected and confirmed cases.”
These declarations at least show us that the government is acknowledging that the situation is worrisome and that it is stepping up efforts to contain further spread of the virus.
There is so much that we still do not know. We are blind in so many areas—for instance, how can we tell who is sick and not sick if the disease could be asymptomatic? How capable are we of testing, in a timely manner, all those who must be tested? How can we assuage our fears that somebody in the crowd or within our premises is potentially a patient?
Given these, our only recourse is to rely on what we can do. We can constantly keep clean and boost our immune system by eating healthy and exercising. We can refuse to go out when we do not have to. We can stay tuned to the news, making sure that we believe—and pass along—information only from reliable sources. We can refrain from ascribing ill motives to political figures, or from believing faux science. We can reject any form of hysteria.
These are precarious times. More than ever, we need only the basics: A clear mind, and a good head on our shoulders.