Doctors who are medical frontliners in the fight against CoViD 19 in Negros Oriental are advocating a return to ECQ protocols as they appealed to government to use more science in formulating public policies to counter the virus.
The doctors, who asked to remain anonymous, are private practitioners in various hospitals in the City who answered a poll by the MetroPost last Friday. (See Q&A with Medical Doctors)
The doctors said Negos Oriental and Dumaguete City are way behind in eliminating CoViD-19. They said protocols on Modified-General Community Quarantine are not being strictly implemented, and local government units should be more aggressive and transparent with their figures.
They said Negros Oriental can do better by emulating the protocols in Siquijor, which impost strict border controls, as well as the cities of Pasig and Ormoc.
Local government units, they said, should meet the medical and business communities together so that transparent compromises or agreements are met, adding that a sick community does not generate good business.
The doctors said the business establishments should strictly control the number of people entering their establishments, and practice social distancing, because this pandemic could still last one to two years more. “Even then, CoVID will always be there, such as flu, mumps and measles.”
One doctor said that if this pandemic has taught us one thing, it is that we can actually survive on so little.
On the number of CoViD-19 cases in Negros Oriental, the doctors said we should be wary of low numbers. “This is dangerous because some cases are just asymptomatic, and have not been tested.“
They said people tend to be complacent and negligent about the seriousness of the pandemic because of the “low” CoViD 19 cases.
The doctors also expressed doubt that the public is hearing the real situation, as they cited lapses in reportage, such as a positive case turning negative the following day.
When asked what the public needs to know that they are not being told, the doctors said our isolation units have a common comfort room. They said people also need to know about the daily number of cases, the general information about the patients like their travel history so the public can make informed decisions like where not to go.
The doctors were also unanimous in cautioning against opening of physical classes next month. They said people should have no contact until a vaccine is available because allowing students to return to Dumaguete from other provinces would surely increase the number of cases in Negros Oriental.
The doctors were also unanimous in saying that Negros Oriental is not equipped enough for a worst case scenario. “We may have the infrastructure, but we don’t have the capability,” said one doctor.
“The best thing is not to get infected with CoVID by staying at home.”
They added that everyone should always wear a mask, practice social distancing and always wash their hands.
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