Many public figures in Singapore have expressed their views and given their advice on the Wuhan novel coronavirus situation in Singapore, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings, also added her voice to the public discourse in the week since the Wuhan virus situation intensified in Singapore.
She took to Facebook on Tuesday (Jan. 28) and Wednesday (Jan. 29) to give advice on how to stay safe during the current Wuhan virus scare.
Step one: wash and sanitise hands
First, Ho emphasised the importance of everyone washing or sanitising their hands properly.
Similar to SARS and the seasonal flu, she wrote, transmission of the virus is via droplets.
Thus, the virus can spread to us when we touch surfaces that are contaminated with droplets and then touch our faces, such as by scratching our noses, rubbing our eyes, or putting food in our mouths:
"This brings the viral load to our face, to help the virus get into our nose, throat and eventually down into our lungs, where they multiply, and inflame our lungs, mess up our lung membrane to prevent proper gas exchange of CO2 from the blood and oxygen from fresh air into our blood."
Ho suggested that for those working in jobs where it might not be convenient to wash their hands regularly and frequently, they can carry around hand sanitiser instead.
Alternatives to hand sanitiser
And for those who don't have a bottle of hand sanitiser, Ho offered other alternatives.
Mouthwash, disinfectant, wet wipes, or even "a bottle of strong alcohol" can be used because they will either contain alcohol and mild chlorine-based disinfectants which can "break up or disable the virus".
However, because the improvised sanitiser won't have moisturiser in it, Ho suggested bringing along baby lotion or some other moisturiser to apply about 20 minutes after the improvised disinfectant dries.
She also suggested that taxi and Grab drivers could wipe down their cars, especially the door handles, and whatever surfaces unwell passengers could have touched or coughed or sneezed on.
Step two: wear face masks when feeling unwell
Ho described the concept of wearing masks as "a bit counter-intuitive" because it is meant to protect others rather than protecting oneself.
She wrote about the importance of people who are feeling unwell to use simple surgical masks to block droplets from getting onto other people or surfaces, especially if they are coughing or sneezing.
Ho reminded her followers that when the virus is not yet widespread, like currently, "the idea is for sick people to wear masks. Healthy folks don’t need to wear masks."
However, if the virus becomes more widespread, or if it is infectious before symptoms show, then everyone might want to wear a mask, because they wouldn't know if they are carrying the virus and could spread it even if they appear to not be sick.
For those who cannot get surgical masks, Ho suggested improvising a mask by folding a handkerchief into a triangle with two layers to tie over the nose and mouth area, "as if you are ready to be a robber in one of these cops and robbers movies."
Or if you're a younger person who's more familiar with Red Dead Redemption 2:
For those who are more "kiasu and kiasi", she proposed adding a couple of layers of tissue paper on top of the handkerchief, as they are more absorbent and can be removed, disposed, and replaced with fresh tissues.
Keep calm and carry on
Ho summarised her advice and reminded people to stay calm:
- Everyone should develop a habit of cleaning or sanitising our hands regularly.
- For people who are feeling unwell or who are displaying symptoms of illness, such as cough, runny nose, sneezes, or feeling feverish, they should use a mask.
- Track the developments of the virus and keep track of if it is necessary to increase precautions.
While we don't yet have community spread, said Ho, "we should be prepared for a community spread as the Wuhan virus spreads more easily than common flu, and more importantly, it may be infectious before fevers or other symptoms show up."
She closed with well wishes and a plea to everyone to do their part:
"Do keep well, and keep safe.
And please, please pick up the protective habit of sanitising our hands regularly, and wearing a mask whenever we feel unwell."
You can the full posts here:
Image via Facebook / Singapore General Hospital and Facebook / Ho Ching.