In the wake of the global health emergency brought about by the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCov-ARD), perhaps the national government should exert efforts to properly train doctors and nurses and the public as well on how to respond to such health issues to have a semblance of social cohesion and psychological resilience that will allow us to carry on with our lives with calm and reassurance.
The disconnect between the Department of Health and officials of Tarlac province was evident from the start. First, the Municipality of Capas, where the multi-million peso Athletes’ Villages of the New Clark City is located, was apparently utilized as quarantine hub without the knowledge of Capas officials. But the contention is now water under the bridge after Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan showed support to the temporary shelter of the 30 repatriated Filipinos from Wuhan, China – the ground zero of the novel coronavirus. Said Catacutan: “We in Capas offer our homes.”
And now, Tarlac Governor Susan Yap was also apparently left in the woods as to the arrival of the 2ndbatch of Filipino repatriates from Wuhan.
Said Yap: “Napakaklaro nung Sabado sabi nila ito (first batch) lang tapos ngayon meron na namang ganyan” referring to the 2ndbatch of OFWs from Wuhan that will arrive via Clark International Airport.
Amid the nCov scare, Yap urged the national government to exert transparency and coordination because according to her “the use of the NCC as quarantine facility will affect tourism in the province. Magkakaroon ng stigma ‘yan.” Yap said she was not aware that a second batch of OFWs from Wuhan will arrive anytime soon.
While Philippines’ officials are locking horns on the fate of Filipinos coming from Wuhan, we can take a lesson or two from Singapore Prime Minister PM Lee Hsien Loong who delivered a reassuring message on Saturday regarding the 2019-nCoV situation in his country and how they deal with it with relative calm.
Said he: “Fear and anxiety are natural human reactions. We all want to protect ourselves and our families from what is still a new and unknown disease. But fear can do more harm than the virus itself. It can make us panic or do things which can make matters worse.”
From the N1H1 swine flu and SARS, the Singaporeans have taken matters seriously to become better prepared in case of an outbreak in their midst such as the nCov-ARD. “We have more well-trained doctors and nurses to deal with this situation. We are psychologically prepared too. Singaporeans know what to expect and how to react. Most importantly, having overcome SARS once, we know that we can pull through this too. The new coronavirus (nCov) is similar to SARS, but with two important differences. First, the new virus is more infectious than SARS, therefore it is harder to stop it from spreading. Second, the new virus is much less dangerous than SARS. About 10 % of those who caught SARS died. With the new virus, outside of Hubei province, the mortality rate is so far only 0.2%. In comparison, seasonal influenza has a death rate of 0.1%. So in terms of mortality, the new virus is much closer to influenza than SARS.
“We have to respond promptly and dynamically. So far most of our cases have either been imported from China or can be traced to imported cases. When we discover them, we have isolated the patients, done contact tracing and quarantined their close contacts. This has contained the spread and helped stamp out several local clusters.”
The Singapore PM discouraged mingling in schools, tightens access to hospitals, and takes extra precautions at large public events. In fact, he postponed the holding of the Chinese New Year.
Prime Minister PM Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest child of the late Singaporean charismatic leader Lee Kuan Yew was reassuring saying “There is no reason to panic.”
“Whatever the situation, we can each do our part. One, observe personal hygiene, wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes or face unnecessarily. Two, take your own temperature twice daily. And three, if you are not well, please avoid crowded places and see a doctor immediately. These simple steps don’t take much effort but if we all do them they will go a long way towards containing the spread of the virus.”
“We should take courage and see through this stressful time together. That is in fact what many Singaporeans are doing. Grassroot leaders and Team Nila volunteers have stepped forward to help distribute masks to households. University students are delivering food daily to schoolmates confined to their dorms on leave of absence. Healthcare workers are on the frontline treating patients in hospitals and clinics and helping them get well again. Business federations, unions, public transport workers are going the extra mile to maintain services, take care of workers, and keep Singapore running. They are inspirations to all of us.
“This is what it means to be Singaporean. This is who we are.”