Countries with responsible citizens are the ones that are successful

Jun 24, 2020 News

War against COVID-19…

– Emergency Physician

Even as the nation awaits the outcome of the March 2, 2020 election, it continues to be faced with the daunting threat of COVID-19. But can the eventual announcement of the election results impact the spread of this disease? Emergency Medicine Specialist, Dr. Zulfikar Bux, certainly believes it can.

Emergency Medicine Specialist, Dr. Zulfikar Bux

Dr. Bux, a weekly contributor to this publication, explained, “There will be winners and losers. My concern is that supporters of the winning party may gather to celebrate victory or the supporters of the losing party may gather to protest their frustration. None of these can be good for us as it will only make the environment conducive for the virus to spread. If this occurs, we may not be able to ride the waves of the tsunami to come.”
A tsunami, in the typical sense, is characterized by destructive surges of water (in a large body of water) caused by underwater earthquakes. Dr. Bux noted that when a tsunami hits, it causes major devastation and often overwhelms countries and their systems. The devastating effect of the tsunami, he said, often lies in the waves that follow the first wave. The subsequent waves, he noted, tend to be larger and spread further.
Considering the manifestation of a tsunami, Dr. Bux quipped, “experts are concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic may act in a similar manner in some countries if they begin to relax and return to normalcy too fast.”
Moreover, even as he shared some insight into the Guyana situation, even expressing his belief that “we have so far been lucky”, Dr. Bux highlighted some potential possibilities that await Guyana.
“Our response to this pandemic has not been the ‘model’ approach. It seems that we have been exposed to a weaker strain of the virus that is not as devastating as the other strains that are wreaking havoc in some countries. Our climate (higher temperature) and lower population density have also made it more challenging for the virus to spread. This does not mean that it is over for us. A stronger strain of the virus can be easily introduced by an infected traveller coming from a country with the said strain,” he explained.
As such, Dr. Bux stressed the need for the populace “to be cautious and be prepared for the possibility of a second and third wave of infection which has the potential to be more devastating.”
These waves, he emphasized, can either come from a stronger imported strain of the disease or from relaxing and starting to ease social distancing which can cause an upsurge in the viral spread.
But according to the Emergency Medicine Specialist, there is also the possibility of the current wave of infection dissipating. He is optimistic that new infections can be prevented “by working together to adhere to prevention guidelines.”
Weeks earlier, there was a perceived lull in COVID-19 cases. Commenting on this, Dr. Bux had said, “if the current trends continue, we will have to find that balance between trying to sustain a semblance of societal normalcy but restrain ourselves sufficiently to minimize viral spread. For us to do the latter successfully, we have to minimize our public appearances and only venture out for necessities, wear masks once we are out, practice social distancing and ensure we strictly adhere to hand and general hygiene principles.”
The local confirmed cases of the disease mounted to 205 when the Public Health Ministry on Monday confirmed 21 new cases. Another case was recorded yesterday.
Moreover, Dr. Bux’s appeal is “Let us all be responsible and express our emotions in a responsible manner and focus on saving our country, our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. Countries with responsible citizens are the ones that are successful; let’s all be responsible for the sake of our motherland.”

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