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Mass hysteria among people due to lack of testing for coronavirus
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The combined death toll to date across more than a dozen Eastern European countries is less than the number of fatalities on any recent day in Italy. The highest number of infection is in the Czech Republic and Poland, with 2,541 cases and 1,638 cases respectively, still a fraction of the numbers in most western European countries. On the face of it, the map of Europe’s struggle with coronavirus suggests that the prospects for the eastern half of the continent are much less grim than for the western half, reports The Guardian.
This could partly be down to lockdown measures introduced at an early stage in the outbreak. But there is also a worry that the figures in some countries are deflated by a much lower testing rate than in Western Europe. Hungary has conducted less than a quarter of the number of tests that neighbouring Austria has, despite having a slightly larger population. Britain, where lack of testing is also a serious concern, has conducted many more tests per capita than most countries in Eastern Europe.
If and when the expected surge in cases does come, there is a fear that struggling and underfunded health services across the region could buckle. While concerns over outdated facilities and a lack of protective equipment are certainly not unique to Central and Eastern Europe, they could be particularly acute here.
“Of course, the low number of confirmed cases has to do with the low amount of testing. I have a colleague who has symptoms, he has stayed at home for the past five days and he hasn’t been tested yet,” said one doctor at a Budapest hospital who asked to speak anonymously.
Regulations have recently changed in her hospital, she said, meaning that only the doctors spending an hour or more with coronavirus patients are eligible to wear FFP2 masks offering high levels of protection. Those who spend less than an hour with patients receive only a simple surgical mask.
At what point does this excellent article by The Guardian (an article which, incidentally is few days old) say anything about mass hysteria? The headline that has been attached to this piece is totally misrepresentative of what The Guardian published.
That might be the author’s standpoint towards the article published by The Guardian. Nonetheless, the headline is completely misrepresentative. That is how they run this web-resource…
Turning to China for equipment, while necessary now, is something that everyone must avoid in the future. China is no friend. Their government created this crisis. They have not corrected their problems. They will infect the world again.