CONCLUSION
The pandemic continues to evolve and changing disease trends will
require constant adaptations. The lessons learnt from Singapore’s SARS
outbreak in 2003 are etched in the minds of many in our department. The
rapid conceptualization of a business continuity plan when this outbreak
gained traction, is in large part, due to past painful experience. At
the time of writing, no Otolaryngologist in our institution has been
infected with COVID-19 and it is our greatest hope that this remains so.
We are prepared to morph our approach as the pandemic continues to
evolve locally and internationally, and as more scientific reports of
this disease become available.
References:
- World Health Organization. WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at
the media briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020.
https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—11-march-2020.
Accessed March 31, 2020
- Ministry of Health, Singapore. Updates on COVID-19 (Coronavirus
Disease 2019) local situation. https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19.
Accessed March 31, 2020
- The State Council Information Office The People’s Republic of China.
SCIO briefing on the science-based treatment of severe COVID-19 cases.
http://english.scio.gov.cn/pressroom/2020-03/21/content_75847608.htm.
Accessed March 31, 2020
- Bloomberg News. Europe’s Doctors Repeat Errors Made in Wuhan, China
Medics Say.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-17/europe-s-doctors-getting-sick-like-in-wuhan-chinese-doctors-say.
Accessed March 31, 2020
- Insider. A 62-year-old Chinese doctor in Wuhan ’at the front line’ of
the coronavirus outbreak has died after treating patients.
https://www.insider.com/doctor-wuhan-china-died-after-treating-coronavirus-patients-2020-1.
Accessed March 31, 2020