Very recently, I heard some cases of discrimination against COVID-19 relevant people. It is not limited to infected people, but also against medical practitioners engaging in patients.
It is shameful to disrespect or avoid medical staffs. But I have to be somewhat sympathetic with the fear of such poor people who are worrying about being infected.
Interestingly, their fear is not rational. I mean that doctors in charge of caring patients with COVID-19 are safer than other physicians in terms of the risk for transmitting virus. They wear personal precautionary equipments completely when connecting patients. Also, they are strictly watched by the team so that they never transfer the virus. On the other hand, physicians who are working at an ordinary outpatient clinic, including me, have many opportunities to touch patients potentially carrying the virus. They usually do not equip entire protecter. Since most patients are not aware of carrying the virus, they do not behave cautiously. Which is riskier do you think?
The structure of this issue is very similar to the forensic mental health. The other days, I was engaging in constructing forensic mental health wards in some regional hospitals. When I made an explanation about the plan of newly developed forensic mental health systems, many citizens were opposing to building new wards. They were afraid that dangerous people who had committed serious crimes for the reason of insanity would be in the ward. In reality, however, they did exist there! Newly developed wards were built to treat such patients with richer staffs and strict structure. Indeed, after the new scheme began, serious cases committed by mentally disordered patients seems to be decreasing, despite some disputes around it.
We are aware of overt risk. But, covert risks are often more serious. We should become aware of them with scientific view.
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