Belfast GPs are warning that a “complete lockdown” is needed to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic as Government measures are “not stringent enough”.
In an open letter, the four Chairs of the Belfast GP Federations say they are “dismayed at the actions of many members of the public, who it seems to us, are failing to understand the gravity of the current situation in which we find ourselves”.
They warn: “COVID-19 is a disease, which is more infectious than seasonal influenza virus, is estimated to be carried asymptomatically or with mild symptoms in 60% of cases and has catastrophic effects in the short term for a large number of patients. There is no treatment and no cure other than supportive measures for patients when they are ill and until they can recover from the illness.
“The fact that so many people can carry the virus with extremely limited effect to themselves means that whilst these individuals continue to move through the community, albeit in a limited fashion, they are still spreading the virus.
“We see with alarm the effects of the illness in other countries, e.g. Italy, Spain, and China. Whilst circumstances cannot be directly compared with these other countries, we should be proceeding with extreme caution. We argue that it would be better to be extremely cautious and wrong than wrong and incautious.
“The estimated time from exposure to null infectivity is estimated to be 2-3 weeks. It follows that if a ‘complete lockdown’ of the public was enacted, the virus could be, if not stopped in its tracks, at least significantly slowed up.”
The call for more action comes as both Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have tested positive for Covid-19.
The GPs’ letter adds: “Time is of the essence in this disease with doubling of cases on average every 5 days if no measures are taken. We acknowledge the current advice government has given on social distancing but, in our view, this is not stringent enough.
“We accept that the public find it difficult to understand the gravity of the condition at this stage as cases have few overt signs at the start and most cases with mild symptoms are currently managed by self-management in the community or if severe, in hospital and thus are largely ‘out of sight’.
“It is very clear that a sizeable cohort of patients develop a profound shortage of oxygen very quickly in this disease and they need medical support, usually oxygen, for over 2 weeks on average. These patients can be managed in our healthcare system when there are limited numbers and sufficient resources.
“Our concern is that, in the next few weeks, numbers will escalate significantly and anything which can be done to reduce spread of the virus in our Belfast communities, and indeed across Northern Ireland, should be adopted. This will protect the vulnerable, support staff and reduce morbidity and mortality.
“We call on our political leaders to hear and act on our heartfelt plea and move to adopt a ‘complete lockdown’ as we have seen in other countries, at the earliest opportunity. Time is of the essence.”
.jpg?w=600)
