Government’s COVID-19 response: Media must ask for the finer details

FEAR AND restlessness is a natural response to crisis. More so when the crisis involves an epidemic spreading with the speed of the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV). The outbreak has so far afflicted thousands in China and hundreds more across twenty-four countries, including the Philippines.

The nCoV, now newly designated COVID-19 by the World health Organization (WHO), has fortunately spread less aggressively in the Philippines. Experts from the Department of Health (DOH) are yet to add more to the earlier announced three confirmed cases. But even with no confirmed cases of local transmission so far, health authorities are remaining vigilant; they recorded more than a hundred persons under investigation (PUI) for possible infection.

Tracking the health crisis, the media have kept abreast with COVID-19-related developments, reporting its continuing spread globally, its fatalities, and lately, cases of survival and recovery. Reports have informed the public, airing live or reporting the DOH’s regular briefings about the local situation regarding the disease, as well as other related updates, such as the recent repatriation and quarantine of Filipinos from the virus’ epicenter Wuhan, China.

But a critical gap mars the coverage. The media have not tried to extract from government agencies or other sources an assessment of the country’s capability and preparedness to handle the COVID-19 outbreak. News accounts did report on the various options for the handling of quarantine, among them moving from Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City, Tarlac. But this process only indicated the absence of a comprehensive plan to respond to the crisis. Questions not asked include the need and availability of medical supplies, as well as the sufficiency of hospital facilities.

CMFR monitored reports from the broadsheets Manila Bulletin, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and The Philippine Star; primetime newscasts 24 Oras (GMA-7), Aksyon (TV5), News Night (CNN Philippines) and TV Patrol (ABS-CBN-2); as well as selected news websites from February 5 to 11, 2020.

Parroting statements

Three weeks into the coverage, the media has not been remiss with keeping the public up-to-date with the information regularly provided by the DOH and other health experts. But relying on official statements only touch the issue’s surface, leaving out the evaluation of the extent of danger based on the capacity of the government to address the challenge.

In the face of the continuing spread of COVID-19 around the world and the tracking of PUIs in the country, the public needs to read and hear more than just motherhood statements from relevant authorities. It needs to be informed of more concrete responses and measures.

For example, to cope with the mounting cases of the COVID-19, the Chinese government built a 1,000-bed capacity hospital dedicated to treating patients afflicted with the virus. In Singapore, the country’s leader delivered a message calling for unity and reassured citizens that they are now more equipped to deal with the virus threat, informing them of Singapore’s improved capabilities since the SARS outbreak in 2003. The same announcement assured an adequate supply of face masks and personal protective equipment.

Clearly, the Philippines does not have the same resources as China and Singapore. But this is precisely why journalists should ask for the finer details, which would reveal more accurately the country’s vulnerability against the virus threat. Journalists could ask: How many hospitals in the country are capable of taking in COVD-19 patients? What is the country’s total bed capacity across all government hospitals per region? Do our hospitals have enough quarantine facilities? Are there enough health professionals and workers who are equipped and ready to respond if and when the cases increase? How many facilities in the country can run confirmatory tests of diseases, and where are they located?

Such information, if communicated properly, could help calm the public. These could also counter the many misapprehensions that rise in the midst of a health emergency.

In a recorded message released on February 13, Duterte appealed to the public to “trust” the government. But typically he did not provide assurance to quiet fears. The message was clearly an attempt to assuage the worrying public.

If the government does not have the answers, media are obliged to report this as news.