St James health official: Social media spreading coronavirus panic
Published:Saturday | March 7, 2020 | 12:11 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Dr Tanique Bailey-Small, medical officer of health for St James, is dismissing reports circulating on social media that cases of COVID-19 are in Jamaica and being covered up, even as she assured that there were no suspected cases under quarantine in the parish.
Bailey-Small, who was addressing a town-hall meeting in Norwood, St James, on Thursday night, said that the Ministry of Health would promptly inform the public if any novel coronavirus infection should enter Jamaica.
“Social media has been giving us a fight in that regard, and I’m sure a lot of us would have seen videos and messages that have been circulating about COVID-19. But the Ministry of Health has always been very forthcoming with information, so if we end up having a case, I’m sure the ministry will let us know exactly what is happening,” said Bailey-Small, who gave an update on preparations in the parish and efforts to curb the spread of dengue infections.
“We don’t have anybody in quarantine in St James at this time. For persons who would have travelled to one of the countries that have an active outbreak of COVID-19, if somebody is having symptoms, they will be isolated at one of our hospitals,” added Bailey-Small.
Concerns have been raised about misinformation being spread over social media with regard to the COVID-19 epidemic, for which more than 100,000 infections and 3,300 deaths have been recorded worldwide so far. The majority of those cases have been recorded in China, where the outbreak began in the city of Wuhan, with 80,552 cases and 3,042 deaths.
GOOD HYGIENE
Health authorities are strongly urging citizens to practise good hygiene, including frequent hand-washing and covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, as a preventive measure against COVID-19 and other diseases.
Bailey-Small said that the Ministry of Health was maintaining its surveillance to detect all infectious diseases, including COVID-19, that could potentially enter Jamaica.
“The Ministry of Health has a very robust surveillance system, and not just for COVID-19. Our surveillance system monitors for other infectious diseases that are not endemic, or common, to Jamaica,” she said.
“But we also have to take personal responsibility in terms of practising good infection-control practices.”