A New Kind Of Danger

Hi Johan,

It has been long since I heard from you but when I did, what a mail 😛.

Thank you for your mail. I am sure it would have taken you whole day to do such a long and detailed mail.

In Bhutan, as of now we have one confirmed COVID-19 case. And the entire Bhutanese population is frantic – as we should be. But sometimes we do tend to over-react without a proper understanding of the issues involved. I have been advising everyone that what is needed is cautious behavior and a sense of responsibility to self and to your friends and family. Irresponsible behavior and bravado are bound to cause bigger problems.

Happily our government is on the ball, as they say. Unfortunately what is emerging is a danger that few seem to have foreseen: the diminishing number of actively serving health workers at the JDWNRH, and perhaps elsewhere as well, brought about by the mandatory need for their isolation.

What I mean is that the health workers who are working/worked with the confirmed case and his primary contacts, are required to go into isolation for 14 days. This means if we have even 5 confirmed cases, the JDWNRH would be empty of doctors and nurses – because they would all be in isolation. Or, they would be working with the infected during which they would be barred from outside contact.

That to me is more worrisome than the possibility of infection by the virus – because we are likely to face a situation when we would be unable to treat even normal illnesses because all the doctors and nurses would all be locked up in isolation camps!

But as far as the COVID-19 is concerned, I think a vaccine should become available in the next 3-4 months: so this scare will pass too. I am sorry that you may not be able to come to Bhutan in July – but as I said your responsible behavior is the best defense against the virus and its proliferation.

I am not a praying kind of person – if I were, this would be the moment to pray for our health workers' safety, because as the persons at the forefront in our battle against this deadly virus, they are at the greatest risk.

But I can offer them my salutations for their service to safeguard the health and life of the Bhutanese people.