Healthcare workers want dual coronavirus, hurricane plan

WESTERN BUREAU:

With the 2020 hurricane season looming on the horizon and most of the nation’s healthcare workers absorbed in the fight to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders in the healthcare sector want the Government to make the requisite preparation to respond adequately in the likelihood of being faced with two disasters at one time.

Sixteen named storms, some predicted to gust in excess of 100 kilometres per hour, are projected to emerge during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which will commence on June 1. In fact, forecasters at the US-based Colorado State University are warning that the six-month period ending November 30 will be more active than normal.

“We have never really looked at a pandemic as one of the disaster-preparedness measures,” said Carmen Johnson, president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica. “We more looked at flood, fire, hurricane, and we have always been prepared for dengue, typhoid, and those things; but we now have to look beyond COVID and prepare to treat with the two things.

“We need to start the discussion of what could happen if we are directly hit by a hurricane,” said Johnson. “We need to prepare our houses to ensure that when you are staying in, you not only staying safe from COVID-19, but you are also staying safe from the accidents that can take place during a hurricane.”

“While we are paying attention to preparing our isolation and quarantine areas, we are also to ensure that the other areas of the facilities and the healthcare deliveries are addressed at the same time so that if we have to treat with the two of them together, the system will not collapse,” added Johnson.

Karen Brown, president of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors, is in support of the call to prepare for more than one disaster at the same time. She told The Gleaner that psychological counselling must be a part of any intervention if healthcare workers are forced to actively trace the COVID-19 virus and respond to other emergencies.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst, that is a double whammy,” Brown stated. “Although disaster response is an activity which we have done over the years, things can be a bit complicated, particularly with a severe weather-related disaster.”

Brown further noted that there are over 400 public health officers across the island ready to serve, but is lobbying for a national response plan to ensure adequate counselling and the provision of safety gears ahead of time.