"This is a matter of grave national concern and we have the right to be informed."
"This is a matter of grave national concern and we have the right to be informed."
Finally, after days of coping with fake news on the dreaded virus, we wake up realizing the threat is finally upon us.
The other day, the Department of Health confirmed the Philippines’ first case of an actual contact with a carrier of the novel coronavirus. The DOH announcement came almost simultaneously with that of the World Health Organization, declaring the nCoV as a global health emergency, acknowledging that the virus now represents a risk outside of China.
This was after the United States reported its first case of human-to-human transmission of the disease, infecting someone who had not even set foot on China.
WHO’s declaration, officially called a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, serves notice to all United Nations member states that the world’s top health advisory body rates the situation as serious. Countries can then decide whether to close their borders, cancel flights, screen people arriving at airports or take other measures.
But as far as the Philippines’ first case of coronavirus is concerned, this is the only information that has been made available:
The country’s first case of nCoV is a 38-year-old Chinese woman who traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan, China via Hong Kong on Jan. 21. The samples from the Chinese woman was among the six sent to the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory in Australia for testing earlier this week. The five others tested negative. As some sort of welcome news, the DOH announced succeeding tests for the nCoV will now be done by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, as the DOH has already acquired the necessary test kit for the procedure, the results of which may be available within 24 hours of testing.
According to Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo, the said Chinese woman was on flights of both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific.
She arrived in Cebu from Hong Kong via Cebu Pacific, and flew to Dumaguete also via Cebu Pacific before flying to Manila via PAL.
Among the 29 people monitored by the DOH for possible nCoV infection, the Chinese patient is currently in a government hospital, where she was admitted on Jan. 25, but was no longer showing symptoms.
DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Ferchito Avelino assured the public that authorities would check the establishments that she went to and trace employees she had been in contact with.
But that’s all we know. The DOH won’t reveal what hospital the Chinese patient has been admitted to, which I don’t think is the right thing to do. Of course it would cause panic. That would be expected. But then, I believe it would be limited to the particular hospital where the patient has been admitted to, given the relatively lack of knowledge among the people on the virus, aggravated by the fear the fake news and of the actual threat the virus has instilled among us.
But then, that would still be on limited scale compared to the panic it would stir if the name of the hospital were kept secret. People, especially those who cannot afford treatment in private hospitals, would be shying away from all government hospitals and that would create bigger problems. From whom would these people seek medical assistance?
Even Dasmariñas Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga has joined the call for DOH to name the hospital where the Chinese patient has been admitted to.
“I think the DOH should disclose the name of the DOH hospital where the patient is confined to prevent the public from going there. Withholding the disclosure of the DOH hospital would create more problems since all the DOH hospitals in Manila would be under the suspicion, thus, producing grave consequences as compared when there is disclosure as to the DOH hospital where there is a confirmed case of Novel Coronavirus,” Barzaga said in a statement.
“After all, the public has a right to information of grave national concern which would adversely affect their lives,” he added.
Rightly said Cong. This is a matter of grave national concern and we have the right to be informed. DOH has to shed its veil of secrecy and reveal everything we need to know regarding the virus including the numbers of those infected and to where they have been admitted and the status of their cases. We need to protect ourselves.
And we can do so effectively if DOH would only be transparent.