Doctor At Newark Hospital: ‘Don’t Fear Coronavirus, Respect It’

NEWARK, NJ — “We should respect the virus, not fear it.” According to Hamid Shaaban, the chief medical officer at Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, this is the mindset that the city – and nation – need to embrace about the new coronavirus.

On Monday, Shaaban went on social media to issue a public service announcement about COVID-19. Shaaban, an infectious disease expert, discussed the steps the hospital is taking to prepare for a potential surge of patients with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Shaaban emphasized the community should take the public health threat posed by COVID-19 seriously. However, he advocated for a logic-first approach: “Lead with facts, not fear.”

That’s not to say there aren’t legitimate concerns when it comes to the new coronavirus, especially for the health care workers on the front lines of the mounting crisis. One such issue? A lack of much-needed items such as personal protective equipment, Shaaban said.

“Some of the fear is driven by the fact that we’re concerned we don’t have the equipment to tackle this problem,” Shaaban attested.

• See related article: Newark Area Hospitals Lack Beds For Coronavirus Surge, Report Says

Shaaban also had a message to “all the young kids out there in Newark.”

“This is a serious issue,” he said, referencing the city’s recently imposed 8 p.m. curfew and Gov. Phil Murphy’s statewide order for New Jersey residents to “stay at home.”

“The way you minimize spread is by containment,” Shaaban said. “Social distancing… that’s been shown in prior pandemics to work.”

Watch his full announcement below.

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