Today, truth and facts are valuable but contentious commodities. Every day, people hear about information labeled as “false news” and are presented with “alternate facts.” They are bombarded with endless information, including rumors and lies, from traditional media and social media sources.
Political calculations and objectives manipulate information. Most people find it hard to decipher and many give up. Into this reality crept a novel coronavirus from China.
COVID-19 is a serious global challenge with significant economic consequences and the possibility of a dangerous global health crisis. Thousands have been infected worldwide; many have already died in China and the number of deaths globally is rising.
One of the most significant problems is the absence of information and some false information coming out of China, where a lack of transparency is normal. Withholding or reshaping information is a problem within authoritarian governments.
Unfortunately, what happened in China is being mirrored in Iran, where secrecy fueled the spread of this pathogen and its transport across borders.
What do experts know? There is a lot of pathological information provided by China about the virus that appears to be accurate. There are accurate testing methods, but neither the method of propagation nor the natural history of the disease is fully understood.
There is supportive therapy and work being done on specific treatments and prevention. It is impossible to know how contagious the disease is or its mortality without also knowing the number of cases that are mild or asymptomatic. Information obtained covertly from China suggests a significant gap — possibly as disinformation — on the timeline and medical history of COVID-19.
Accurate information is critical to formulate public health guidelines beyond the standard advice to wash hands, not touch the face, and cough or sneeze into the elbow. People with suspicious symptoms should not attend a medical treatment location without warning, so that the health provider can prepare the appropriate isolation measures.
Listen and apply the advice from health authorities: Self-quarantine after returning from China or other locations where there is community spread is recommended by most authorities.
Today, the risk to Canadians is low. Canada has improved its readiness after learning from SARS. Clear thinking, asking the right questions and getting accurate information is imperative for individuals and authorities. Canada should also have an information “hotline” to answer any questions.
The situation is very fluid, and governments must adapt and be ready to change course quickly. The best information is likely to come from the WHO, even if it is influenced by China’s incomplete reporting.
This is not the time to isolate parts of the world or its citizens from urgent health information. Why then should people be concerned about Taiwan? Separated from China by the Taiwan Strait, it is claimed by China. There is significant travel between Taiwan and China and between Taiwan and the rest of the world. The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is the 11th-largest in the world measured by number of passengers.
However, as Beijing has blocked Taiwan’s membership or association with the WHO, the nation is not involved in any discussions about COVID-19. Barred from an emergency meeting of the WHO on Jan. 30, 24 million Taiwanese close to the center of the COVID-19 outbreak had no representation to, nor official information from, the WHO.
Taiwan is an independent nation. Its government is democratic and a strong defender of human rights. Taiwan is Canada’s 12th-largest global trading partner. Excluding Taiwan from contact with the WHO makes COVID-19 more dangerous for its nationals and the rest of the world.
Graeme Barber is a retired vascular surgeon, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa and a member of the Canadian Committee of the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China. David Kilgour is a former Canadian federal lawmaker from Alberta and Cabinet minister.
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