Exclusive - Lebanese Seek Dr. Nasnas' Expertise during Virus Outbreak
Features
Beirut – Caroline Akoum
Ever since the discovery of the first coronavirus case in Lebanon in February, Dr. Roy Nasnas has become a mainstay of local television screens to speak about the danger of the novel virus. Nasnas is head of the Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases wards at the Lebanese Hospital Geitaoui in Beirut and he was among the first doctors to appear in the media to discuss the new threat. Some have even started to criticize him for his frequent media appearances, which he dismissed during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat. “Coronavirus forced me to break my media silence. I had taken a decision years ago to stop making media interviews, especially after my name became synonymous with the AIDS virus,” he said. “I now found that I should dismiss the notion because speaking about the outbreak and raising awareness among the people complements my medical message, which should usually assure the people, but this time, I needed to instill fear in them,” he remarked. Nasnas recalled that he first realized that the world had a pandemic on its hands when the virus emerged in China. “I am very aware of Lebanon’s medical capabilities and so, I had to be frank with the Lebanese about the truth so that they would become scared and take the necessary precautions to protect our community,” he explained. “I did not want the scenarios we saw in Italy, Spain, the United States and other countries to be repeated here.” He believed that the government should have taken tighter preventive measures, but nonetheless the ones it imposed greatly helped curb the outbreak in Lebanon. Despite this, he said that large segments of society are still unaware of the gravity of the situation, warning this will have consequences. Assessing the situation in Lebanon, Nasnas said it was “acceptable, but we should not be too hasty to pat ourselves on the back.” “Any mistake could lead us towards a dangerous phase, especially since our family and social life is different than that in European countries, meaning the virus would spread rapidly among families and various communities,” he warned. Even though Lebanon is in a “good” place, Nasnas said that it is also in a “critical phase” that requires daily follow up in order to take steps for the future. On whether the restrictions should be eased after April 26 – the end of the state’s general mobilization phase – he said authorities must not be hasty. “Each decision should be taken at the appropriate time.” At the same time, however, he acknowledged that the people’s livelihoods must be taken into consideration because any extension of the curfew will further deepen their suffering.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2242966/exclusive-lebanese-seek-dr-nasnas-expertise-during-virus-outbreak
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