Countries around the world are scrambling to deal with the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus which has so far claimed the lives of at least 638. All but two of the deaths were in mainland China, with one person succumbing in the Philippines and another in Hong Kong. As with the death toll, the number of persons being infected with the virus worldwide is also climbing with China accounting for the vast majority.
In addition to the large number of deaths and infections, the outbreak of the virus has taken a tremendous toll on not only the international airline industry and public health systems worldwide, but also several other sectors including tourism and business etc.
To fight the further spread of the coronavirus outbreak in China and globally, and protect states with weaker health systems, the international community has launched a US$675 million preparedness and response plan covering the months of February to April 2020.
Certainly, this outbreak has challenged countries’ public health systems and most of them would need financial and other forms of support to be fully prepared. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, has pointed to the very weak health systems in many countries, many of them not having adequate mechanisms in place to detect people if the situation were to emerge. He has since made an urgent call for support to be fast-tracked to bolster weak health systems so that countries would be able to detect, diagnose and care for people with the virus, in order to prevent further human-to-human transmission and protect health workers.
According to the WHO, the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) for the new coronavirus lays out activities and resources needed by international health organisations globally, to implement priority public health measures in support of countries to prepare and respond to the virus. The objectives of the plan are to limit human-to-human transmission of the virus, particularly in countries most vulnerable if they were to face an outbreak; identify, isolate and care for patients early; communicate critical risk and event information; minimise social and economic impact; reduce virus spread from animal sources, and address crucial unknowns.
The plan focuses on: Rapidly establishing international coordination and operational support; scaling up country readiness and response operations, and accelerating priority research and innovation.
As noted in the SPRP, WHO assesses that the outbreak poses a very high risk in China, as well as regionally and globally. The risk assessment was based on factors including the likelihood of further spread, the potential impact on human health, and the varying levels of effectiveness in national preparedness and response measures. Accelerated action, as called for in the plan, can address these risks and areas requiring support.
Guyana must continue to be vigilant and fully prepared to respond to any eventuality. We have noted that some steps have been taken to address the matter and the health authorities have assured the nation that everything is being done to ensure that all systems are in place effectively and efficiently handle the situation, should the need arise. This includes collaboration with PAHO/WHO, immigration authorities, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and other agencies.
It was reported that screening is ongoing at the various ports of entry across the country, including the Eugene F Correia International Airport and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the ministry has been sensitising officials on how to deal with suspected cases of the deadly virus.
According to the WHO, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death.
Citizens must be reminded of the precautions that should be taken; these include regular hand-washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
