It’s a good thing that—as of this writing—both the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared there is no confirmed 2019-nCoV case in the Philippines.
The DOH, however, said on Monday that there are at least 11 persons under investigation for suspected 2019-nCoV in the country, all of them are foreigners.
The WHO has not declared the 2019-nCoV, which originated from Wuhan province in China, as an “international emergency,” partly because of the low number of overseas cases, although it may yet become one given how contagious the pathogen is, and the alarming rate it is spreading.
To date, outside China, a number of confirmed cases have been found in Thailand, the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Australia and France.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has dealt with infectious outbreaks before. He served as secretary of Health under the administration of then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when the A (H1N1) virus reached the Philippines in 2009, part of a larger global flu epidemic that killed nine people in the country.
We hope Duque’s second tenure as health secretary and his previous experience dealing with A (H1N1) has better prepared him to prevent another potential epidemic, or to cope with one if it happens.
Scientists say viruses behave in different and, often, unpredictable ways. Even a relatively harmless virus can become deadly depending on the environment and the population in which it is transmitted, and whether it mixes with other flu bugs.
Practicing stringent policies can help prevent an epidemic. In this regard, it is better to be overzealous and err on the side of caution, especially considering there is still no vaccine for 2019-nCoV, and that it still has a lot of unknowns, or “blind spots” as Duque said.
The Chinese government should have shut down its cities and impose travel lockdowns sooner to stop the Wuhan coronavirus from spreading.
The US, UK and other countries have told their citizens to avoid the outbreak hot zone. North Korea has reportedly banned foreign tourists altogether, since most of the country’s tourists are from China, its diplomatic ally and biggest aid benefactor.
Our government’s decision to ban all incoming flights from Wuhan was overdue. More than a hundred tourists reportedly landed in Aklan from Wuhan, despite a health alert. None of the Chinese tourists who arrived in Kalibo were quarantined because government authorities said they did not show the red flag symptoms of 2019-nCoV.
But even strict health screenings in airports are not guaranteeing that the Wuhan coronavirus will not enter the country. The incubation period of the virus, or the time from exposure to the onset of its symptoms, is reported to be about two weeks. If people who arrive in the country manifest no fever or other symptoms, that does not mean they are 2019-nCoV negative.
Chinese officials are now saying that the Wuhan coronavirus can be spread even before symptoms show, which makes contact tracing and quarantine doubly difficult.
Several private schools have reportedly canceled classes as a preventive measure. This is a good containment and social distancing measure, especially if some of their students came from abroad.
Both public and private offices should cancel scheduled overseas trips, to prevent their employees from being infected.
Employers should relax their sick leave rules in order to encourage staff to stay home if they develop flu-like symptoms. They should discourage staff who manifest flu-like symptoms from reporting for work, even if this means temporarily raising their sick leave credits.
Social distancing also calls for the cancellation of nonessential large gatherings, including conferences, conventions, parties, flag-raising ceremonies and similar assemblies in offices, and lessening human traffic in crowded areas, such as office cafeterias, and other public or common places.
This is the time for the government and the entire nation to be extra vigilant and pragmatic.
Again, it is better to take extra precautions. It’s okay to be “OA” or overacting.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano