Those battling coronavirus on the front line badly need our support
- With three doctors in the city already infected, we should remember the health professionals who are trying to keep us safe and tolerate restrictions on daily life
War is a metaphor that we often use in relation to the fight against outbreaks of contagious disease. But never in 100 years has it been more apt than in the case of the Covid-19 pandemic caused by the new coronavirus.
As Hong Kong tightens defences against the threat of a serious community outbreak triggered by a wave of imported infections, we may all feel we are in the front line of the war. But those leading from the front are doctors, nurses and health professionals and assistants.
Whatever the outcome for the city, they are the real heroes, working tirelessly to prevent the spread of the disease. Protecting them on the front line is therefore paramount.
This was a painful lesson of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak 17 years ago, when health care workers accounted for 23 per cent of infections. It is a lesson now being reinforced by depletion of the ranks of doctors and nurses in Europe, particularly Spain.
We have received a sharp reminder with new infections this week including a 54-year-old female doctor tasked with issuing quarantine orders at the city’s airport. She is the third doctor to be infected, and will not be the last.
Hong Kong records 24 new cases, mostly people with travel history
Her case prompted health authorities to review their guidelines on protective gear for medical staff at the airport, after officials admitted she was wearing only basic equipment, such as a mask, face shield and gloves. It recalled the Sars crisis, where shortage of adequate protective gear became an issue.
Across western Europe, the sickening of health care professionals and the shortage of beds, let alone specialist facilities for the treatment of infectious diseases, have left hospitals on the brink of collapse. Out of Spain’s 40,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, 5,400 or more than 13 per cent are health care professionals, officials revealed this week.
The problem is widespread throughout Europe. In Italy, France and Spain, more than 30 health professionals have died of Covid-19, and thousands of others have had to self-quarantine.
Hong Kong may be better prepared this time, with greater provision of hospital care designed for patients with an infectious disease. But it is doubtful planners could have envisaged the spread of an infection that is proving far greater, faster and more difficult to halt, and the very real fear of a second wave of imported infections as Hong Kong residents flee contagion in other parts of he world.
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While we deal with the inconvenience of restrictions on the activities of normal life imposed for our collective and individual good, we should remember those we are counting on to leave the safety of their homes every day to man the front line and fight for those most in need.
They deserve our support, especially in terms of compliance with measures designed to stem the tide of infections.
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