Dear Editor, we read the publication on “The emotional impact of Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (new Coronavirus disease)” with a great interest (Lima et al., 2020). Lima et al. (2020) concluded that “Most health professionals working in isolation units and hospitals do not receive any training for providing mental health care. Fear seems more certainly a consequence of mass quarantine.” We agree that the stress and risk is common among the medical personnel who work hard during the COVID-19 outbreak. In our country, Thailand (the second country in the timeline of COVID-19 pandemic), the medial personnel usually lack knowledge and there is insufficient medical protective devices. There is also no specific mental health support for medical workers. How to support local people during the COVID-19 crisis might be mentioned (Xiao et al., 2020) the specific support for medical personnel is usually overlooked. Xiao et al. (2020) noted that levels of anxiety among medical staff caring patients with COVID-19 was dependent on sleep quality and social support. A proper support to medical workers during the crisis is neccessary.
Declaration of Competing Interest
None.
References
- Lima C.K.T, Carvalho P.M.M., Lima I.A.A.S., Nunes J.V.A.O., Saraiva J.S., de Souza R.I., da Silva C.G.L., Neto M.L.R. The emotional impact of Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (new Coronavirus disease) Psychiatry. Res. 2020;287 doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112915. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Xiao H., Zhang Y., Kong D., Li S., Yang N. The Effects of Social Support on Sleep Quality of Medical Staff Treating Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January and February 2020 in China. Med. Sci. Monit. 2020;5(26) doi: 10.12659/MSM.923549. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]