Living with COVID-19
As Taiwan’s COVID-19 cases continue to soar, I am dismayed to see news of hospital emergency rooms clogged with patients with mild symptoms, and medical staff stretched to the brink with conducting COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
As 99.76 percent of local COVID-19 cases have mild or no symptoms, the nation’s current medical capacity should be sufficient to meet non-COVID-19 demand, such as treating patients with life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, stroke or severe external injuries.
However, as panic-stricken people are using emergency rooms for PCR testing after testing positive on rapid antigen tests, it has resulted in a sudden influx of traffic at hospitals, which has caused chaos and further complications for medical staff.
I would like to urge the public to remain calm, especially in a time like this. Instead of flocking to emergency rooms to get tested, people should stay at home, rest, let the virus run its course, while taking medications to reduce fever, suppress coughing and allieviate pain, and drinks to replenish electrolytes as needed.
I would also suggest that the government revise its policy to encourage close contacts under government-mandated home quarantine or self-initiated home isolation to take rapid antigen tests instead of PCR tests. Those who test positive on rapid tests are now to be counted as confirmed cases, and patients with mild or no symptoms can isolate at home. The government will need to work with local pharmacies to ensure that they can provide people with medications and treatments against COVID-19.
Only those who experience severe symptoms should be sent to emergency rooms in ambulances.
As for rapid test kits, I would suggest that only those who experience symptoms take the tests. This way, hospitals and pharmacies can keep up with demand, and the public will not line up to buy test kits that they might not need.
As the Central Epidemic Command Center works hard to tamp down the pandemic, what we can do is not let fear and panic guide us in our actions, and leave the resources to those who really have a need for them. With a positive attitude, we should learn to live with COVID-19 in no time.
Fu Tzu-fong
Taipei
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