Flu fear was avoidable
Strong leadership, a clear response plan and excellent communication is essential as our country reacts to the threat of coronavirus.
Communication was sadly lacking in Cairns yesterday.
On Thursday night the Cairns Post broke the news that a passenger was taken off a Virgin Australia flight bound for Brisbane because he was displaying flu-like symptoms, with two flying companions disembarking also.
The ill passenger was met by paramedics and taken by ambulance to Cairns Hospital.
Virgin later confirmed the passenger had to be forcibly removed with fellow flyers reporting him coughing and spluttering. However, it was later reported that he had complied with authorities. Phones rang hot at our office yesterday as concerned readers sought more information.
Did the passenger have coronavirus? It’s a question our journalists worked hard to get an answer. It took nearly 20 hours to get a response. That’s unacceptable. We were pinged from Queensland Health to the Federal Department of Health, back to Queensland Health.
We sought relief from the State
Health Minister after hours waiting for word. It wasn’t until after we had posted on www.cairnspost.com.au about the lack of information at 1.30pm that we finally received a response from Queensland Health at 4pm.
Earlier in the week we were notified by the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service that all coronavirus queries would need to go through Queensland Health HQ in Brisbane.
The passenger was assessed at the hospital but was found not to have the virus. Thankfully there was a good outcome but the lack of information isn’t good enough. It unnecessarily caused fear and concern.
An official statement should have been released as soon as possible about whether the passenger was even being tested or not. Chemists in the Far North are ordering in masks as quickly as they are running out and tourism bookings are being cancelled. People are worried and they deserve information. The correct information.
Yesterday Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt traded barbs about the nation’s response to coronavirus and after Cairns' incident, there isn’t much here to instil confidence. Understandably authorities do not want to cause panic and will be fielding many requests for comment.
However, when a passenger is taken off a commercial flight and then taken to hospital with “flu-like” symptoms, answers must be forthcoming.
We have no desire to sensationalise coronavirus or any other health threat.
It is our desire to keep the community informed with the right information. AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ABOUT WHETHER THE PASSENGER WAS EVEN BEING TESTED OR NOT. PEOPLE ARE WORRIED AND THEY DESERVE INFORMATION. THE CORRECT INFORMATION.