The following is a reader submission/opinion. Their thoughts, statements, and opinions are entirely their own and may or may not reflect those of The Pattaya News Company Ltd.
Terminology:
When I read every day, all over the world about case numbers of infections of Covid-19, I have to ask, which rule book is being followed here? Yes, the PCR test is currently one of the few ways we have to detect, if someone has come in contact with the Novel (not so new anymore) Corona Virus. These tests however do not test for the disease Covid-19, which is a result of an escalating infection. There has to be this distinction!!
When the government is reporting “New Cases”, I miss the distinction between people getting infected, and people actually getting sick.
Just because someone had/has contact with the virus, does not mean, that they are going to get sick, or die from this virus (which has a fatality rate of 0.15 – 0.25% according to a study published in August last year by the WHO).
As you have pointed out many times in some of your articles, and also once replied to one of my comments; More than 90% of the people are A-symptomatic, which means, they are just “tested Positive”.
While I understand, that these people have to be isolated, and being monitored, it does not make any sense to me to throw those people into the same category as the people who actually need medical attention.
Being infected is not automatically a death sentence.
A better communication of actual facts, with more accurate and distinguishing terminology, is highly advisable.
While the Media and the governmental institutions don’t do that and keep calling the mouse a cat, they keep people in a state of fear. Especially when they give the impression, that this is a seriously deadly disease. Yes, it can be deadly for people who have co-morbidities, and people who are old, no denying of that. And these people have to be protected.
While everyone is so worried and scared of this virus, which poses some threat to a certain percentage of the population, many people die on the roads in road accidents. Yes, as many would argue this is a bad comparison (yes it is indeed), Thais choose every day, to get out into the traffic with the imminent risk of not returning home on this day. It is a calculated risk they take. While the virus can be transmitted, without anyone noticing, precautions can be taken, by washing hands regularly, not touching the face all the time, and maybe wearing a mask.
Thailand had this virus under better control than so many other countries, and only due to the greed and irresponsibilities of a few, they have to face the current situation.
Most governments in the world had at some point some time of fewer infections, where they could have prepared for a potential surge of new infections. Thailand is not an exception. From at least July until November Strategies could have been worked out in the CCSA, to how to handle a potential surge in new infections. While I have to admit, the Disease control Administration is doing an excellent job with the contact tracing, etc, I am confident, that they can have things under control.
How can Thailand get out of this mess??
1) The first thing would be, to stop panicking!! Fear is a bad advisor.
2) Get real data from all over the world, how to classify this virus/disease, how to treat it in the early stages, and how to protect those, who are most vulnerable, then let’s be real, children and adults up to the age of 60 with a healthy immune system and without co-morbidities which are known (diabetes, obesity, etc).
3) Accumulate factual data (refined to be understandable for everyone) on a website, where everyone can educate themselves about the risks and dangers, of the virus. The disease can trigger under which circumstances it can get deadly. So people would get an educated picture of what they deal with.
4) The media. When it comes to reporting about this virus, the Media kept this topic in the main focus of the people. No matter what outlet is being consumed, the dominating topic is the case number of infections, wrongfully called Covid-19. The media has the responsibility to inform people with all facts, they have at their disposal. But as far as I have read in the English press, they just repeat, what the government is communicating (yes with all the flaws mentioned above).
5) This is the most important one.
Stop freaking out, inform people, but do not treat the Thai population like children. In this Pandemic, you need the cooperation of the population, not their fear.
As the last point, I want to state a feeling I have.
Common sense and rationality have been lost to fear all over the world.
Let us stop being afraid, and get back to a point, where analytical observation and true scientifical procedures are the way out of this mess.
Rgds
R.
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