The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday urged countries hit by coronavirus disease to “wake up” to the pandemic situation on the ground and to “take control” of the spread of the virus.
“People need to wake up. The data is not lying. The situation on the ground is not lying,” Michael Ryan, WHO emergencies director, told reporters here.
So far, the coronavirus disease has infected at least 10.8 million people and killed over 521,000 worldwide. The Americas are the hardest-hit region with most cases and deaths registered in the United States.
Noting that “too many countries are ignoring what the data is telling them,” the WHO official said “it is never too late in an epidemic to take control.”
Ryan has been at the forefront of managing acute risks to global health for nearly 25 years.
“There are good economic reasons that the countries need to bring their economies back online,” he said. “It is understandable, but you can’t ignore the problem either. The problem will not magically go away.”
The public health expert said strict social-distancing measures are “unavoidable” in areas where the virus is spreading uncontrollably.
“If countries proceed with opening up without the capacity to cope with the likely caseload, then you end up in a worst-case scenario,” Ryan warned. “If the health system stops coping, more people will die.”
******
XINHUA
A case for Uganda
We need the campaigns but the rate limiting step is that so far the public [electorate] is not taking the effective steps to comply with measures to control spread. So let those planning to campaign embark on this activity of ensuring that the supporters stay safe.
After looking at the Lolwe isolation center, proof that Ministry of health may not manage big numbers of infected population, it becomes clear that their interest is to minimize numbers.
.” I propose that we ask people to sign a pledge card that says, “If I get sick and need hospitalization, then I want to go to the end of the line in terms of getting healthcare resources.” …-
got yourself sick because you didn’t follow the rules and recommendations and deliberately flouted them—you went to places and were recorded flouting them publicly—then I think you should have the guts to say, “I know what I’m doing. I want liberty and I’m willing to pay the price if I get sick.” …I think part of the message should be that you are free to choose. You are free to demonstrate, you are free to let your priorities be known. But if you make yourself sick and you don’t follow basic safety precautions as part of what you are doing, then you should have the moral fortitude to say, “I understand the consequences and I’m willing to accept them.” So says Art Caplan June 16, 2020
Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, is director of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University Langone Medical Center and School of Medicine
Such a message well packaged by those intending to meet crowds may solve Ugandan problems