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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2020 28 February 2010 Gonzi secures majority for tariffs motion Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has man- aged to secure a majority for tomorrow's parliamentary vote on a motion presented by Opposition leader Joseph Muscat against the revised utility tariffs. In tomorrow's debate, the Prime Minister is set to announce his government's intention to "monitor" the impact of the revised tariffs closely, promising intervention with further assistance to families and businesses in need. MPs are expected to speak freely about their concerns on the tariffs and repeat their appeal for a more cautious approach by gov- ernment on the social impact, but they will all vote against the Opposition's motion, and in favour of government. The vote will follow a debate in Parliament that resumes after an 18-day break for the casual election for the seat vacated by Euro- pean Commissioner John Dalli, which gave Gonzi a breather and enough time to con- solidate a disgruntled backbench. New back- bencher Peter Micallef will be taking his oath of office tomorrow. The vote – considered "crucial" by the Opposition – also comes a day after this evening's protest march in Valletta, called by the General Workers Union and the Malta Union of Teachers and nine other trade un- ions, to urge MPs to vote against the revised tariffs. While Labour leader Joseph Muscat has confirmed his attendance at the march, GWU secretary-general Tony Zarb is appealing to MPs from both sides of the house to partici- pate. After enduring two months of growing un- happiness in his backbench, Gonzi managed to confirm his MPs' support at the end of last Thursday's parliamentary group meeting, held after Floriana MP Jean-Pierre Farrugia threatened not to vote for any proposed re- form in primary healthcare. In comments to MaltaToday after sending an email to Gonzi in the wake of a cabinet reshuffle, Jean-Pierre Farrugia indicated that Lawrence Gonzi may be "challenged" unless he immediately restored "a social conscience" to the government's agenda.... Quote of the Week 'An overblown, press-created hysteria' Editorial HISTORICALLY, the threat of a pandemic has al- ways been the cause of (sometimes justified) fear. Being an island which relies so much on imports for its survival, Malta has traditionally been keenly aware of the dangers of an outbreak of virulent disease: from the Bubonic plague in the Middle Ages, to the dreaded Spanish Influenza of 1918-19, to sporadic outbreaks of cholera, measles and oth- er contagious diseases across the centuries. But while our collective experience has taught us to fear the possibility of an epidemic, we must also ask ourselves whether our reactions to the threat of COVID-19 – the new coronavirus which origi- nated in China, and which has now spread to four out of five continents – have been proportional to the real threat posed by this global disease. Like any other new- ly-discovered virus, COVID-19 presents a challenge to world health authorities. There is, as yet, no vaccine (though one may be in place in the coming months); and it remains debatable wheth- er Malta's health services are fully equipped to han- dle an extensive national outbreak. On the other hand, however, the danger posed by this new virus may have been overstated. In the United States, Dr Drew Pinksy (a well-known commentator on medical issues) has accused the American media of prompting "an overblown, press-created hysteria". Asked whether the media was 'overreacting', he emphatically replied: "Yes, yes, yes. We [doctors] are not overreacting. The press is overreacting, and it makes me furious. The press should not be reporting medical stories as though they know how to report it… If we have a pandemic, I won't know how to tell that we're actually having a pan- demic, because everything is an emergency…" Contrary to the impression created in the media, Pinksy described the novel coronavirus as "a mild form of influenza" which has a far lower global mortality rate than the common 'flu (which kills between 290,000 and 650,000 people around the world each year). Moreover, COVID-19 has, so far, proven fatal – with very few exceptions – only to vulnerable people who would be considered high-risk cases in any seasonal influenza epidemic. This distinguish- es it from previous pandemics such as Spanish Flu, whose victims extended also to young, healthy individuals who would normally be expected to fully recover. This view is upheld by medical authorities the world over: including here in Malta, where virolo- gist Dr Chris Barbara has likewise minimised the cause for concern: "We should absolutely not be worried about COVID-19. I have been handling viruses for years on end and many more dangerous viruses. We've had coronaviruses around for many years, like the common cold," Barbara explained. "If people are terrified of COVID-19, why aren't they scared of influenza which is killing more people?" And yet, local reactions have at times bordered on the hysterical: including sudden rushes on su- permarkets to stock up on essentials, in the event of self-imposed quaran- tine. More worryingly, the concern has also extended to open xeno- phobia aimed at countries which have been exposed to the virus. Unfortunately, such re- actions betray a basic lack of understanding about the dynamics of this par- ticular virus. It is for this reason that the general public would be far better served by paying more attention to the advice of medical professionals, than to unnecessary scare-mongering on the social media. Nonetheless, the prospect of a local outbreak – which remains very real, for the time being – is not something to be taken lightly. Malta's business community is bracing itself for a seemingly inev- itable impact: tourism is likely to be hardest-hit, while the possibility of widespread quarantine has ominous implications for local employers. Certainly it is not illegitimate to question – as the Malta Employers' Association is doing – who will bear the costs of lower work attendance on ac- count of extended sick-leave. Likewise, the Unions and other social partners are justified in calling for an urgent meeting of the Malta Council for Social and Economic Development, to map out a coher- ent strategy for coping with the virus. These, however, are matters to be discussed calmly and without any undue hysteria. Malta must be ready for any medical emergency that may arise; but it is unhelpful and counterproduc- tive to exaggerate the actual health risks posed by a new virus that – at the end of the day – is not deadlier than the common flu. "Forgive me for being blunt, but arguably we are basically at this stage subsidising healthcare in Malta!" Steward Malta president Armin Ernst in letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela MaltaToday 10 years ago The general public would be far better served by paying more attention to the advice of medical professionals, than to unnecessary scare-mongering on the social media