Hong Kong doctor urges people to make 'intelligent decisions' amid coronavirus scare

As the deadly coronavirus outbreak continues to tighten its grip around the globe, a doctor from Hong Kong, Manimala Dharmangadan explains “a lot of misconceptions” related to the pandemic in a viral video posted on Facebook. In a bid to educate people who have faced vulnerability in the face of the fatal virus, which was only discovered in China in December 2019, doctors around the world have been spreading awareness regarding precautionary measures that people can take instead of being in a state of panic.

Dharmangadan urged people to make “intelligent decisions” instead of panic buying of essentials such as toilet papers, rice including other commodities. Further explaining the intensity and extent of the fatal COVID-19, Dharmangadan, who is involved in the care and management of COVID-19 patients at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong, said that people must understand the fine line of difference while taking preventive measures and treating others in general. She also explained that the carrier of the fatal virus has the ability to spread it to four others, therefore, it has left the doctors clueless about how many people actually have contracted COVID-19. 

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The four-minute-long video starts off by Dharmangadan singing 'Happy Birthday' for her daughter who can be seen baking cake for her own birthday. Dharmangadan explains that since she has been working in the ICU, it is the first time in several years that her daughter is preparing the cake while the medical worker has isolated herself from the entire family. 

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‘Respiratory droplet virus’

Further touching on the myths related to the pandemic, Dharmangadan said the virus is a “respiratory droplet virus” which means that it can travel up to few meters before settling on a surface. Therefore, resorting to a simple ‘three-layered mask’ can prevent an individual from contracting COVID-19 rather than panicking about not having an N95 mask. She also said that the N95 mask can be saved for the people or medical officials who are in “very close contact” or other procedures surrounding an infected person. 

Hoarding food stocks and other materials, according to the medical official is not the appropriate way to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Instead, people “must be concentrating on” their personal hygiene along with environmental hygiene. She also explains how the onset of summer and warmer temperatures, it might get easier to contain the spread of the virus. Dharmangadan said that the panic and fear of contracting the virus must not “let us affect how we think of people” and further explained how doctors and other medical officials have been dealing the COVID-19 in close proximity. 

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