Solutions to stop the Covid spread
ihave a burning desire to go on a ballistic rant about the fact that the Philippines was, and continues to be, hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. No, i am not happy since i have been in lockdown—as a senior citizen—for 12 mutherfreaking months.
Fortunately, I was able to restock my liquor cabinet before the city decided to protect me from the Covid virus sneaking into my house disguised as a bottle of “1800 100% Agave Silver Tequila.” Thank you Boozy.ph.
My management style is to listen to every complaint about how things are being done. Even from whiners. However, if someone came up with a criticism that I had not thought of, my reaction was to put that person in charge of fixing the problem. My belief is that if you are smart enough to find a problem, there is a good chance you can also find the solution. Further, it can create a de facto “task force” as the “Person in
Charge” starts reaching out to others for ideas.
Currently, all we seem to hear is the “complain” part and few ideas about the “fix.” Therefore, while I will whine about the situation, I will not target any particular government action because I am not smart enough to have solutions to battle Covid.
Oh, wait. I do have an idea. Put large billboards all over the country reading, “Wear a mask/shield, Fool!”
Masks slow the spread of the virus except when they don’t. “If coronavirus particles are in the air, the masks aren’t a reliable way of preventing someone from contracting the virus although there is some evidence that they are better than nothing, says Babak Javid, professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco.”
“Better than nothing” is to scientific reasoning as Green Cross is to whiskey.
In addition to having few if any ideas to help, the complainers are always making comparisons with other countries while coming from total dark ignorance. Thailand controlled Covid. Why can’t the Philippines? Here’s why.
Created in 1977, Thailand’s “Village Health Volunteers” (VHV) were set up as part of government efforts to help rural communities at a time when communist insurgents roamed the country.
In 2003 when the Philippines was concerned about who would be president, Thailand was concerned about the SARS outbreak. Scared to death is more appropriate. The nation immediately started beefing up its healthcare system. A multi-sector task force was created, including many retired military because generals have the knowledge and experience of moving personnel and supplies in long distances and they know how to preposition equipment.
After years of relative inactivity, in 2010—when the Philippines was concerned about who would be president—thailand’s VHV were enhanced with more training and the 1 million participants were receiving $20 per month. Each VHV was responsible for 10 households.
When Covid struck, this “millionman army” was put to work educating families under their watch and reporting any Covid symptoms to local health officials. The VHV were able to immediately trace contacts of anyone who was Covid positive.
With the combined military, police, and reserve forces, Vietnam has one of the largest per capita “armies” in the world. When Covid first hit, the military set a Cordon Sanitaire around areas of positive individuals. The military was used for contact tracing. A total of 10,242,896 people were eventually placed under quarantine, with over 4 million in government quarantine facilities.
My other recommendation to stop the Covid spread is a small sticker on my face shield: “If you can read this, I am going to hurt you badly.”