Page 31 - IJSA, Vol. 3, No 2, 2020

рrint ISSN: 2617-2682; online ISSN: 2707-3637; DOI:10.26697/ijsa IJSA

At the same time the majority of citizens do not follow 19 spread, in order to make a clear comparison. There
the mask regime; visit catering establishments, parks, were built specialized hospitals (Figure 10) in a matter
play-grounds; children of a primary school age are of days, special technical equipment, mist cannon trucks
allowed to attend classes at school. and street sprinklers (Figure 11) were used for
Let us remember the events in the town of Wuhan disinfection of the city streets, the population was
(China) at the beginning of 2020 for preventing COVID- informed etc.

Figure 10. China, Wuhan, the Huoshenshan Hospital Figure 11. China, Wuhan, operations on public areas
(February 2, 2020). Courtesy: XinhuaNews with mist cannon trucks and street sprinklers (February
(http://www.xinhuanet.com). 3, 2020). Courtesy: (http://www.xinhuanet.com).

Returning to Singapore, I should note that issues of Singapore and spits on the street sidewalks are
responsibility of the population for prophylaxis of considered to be ordinary matters, it is difficult to
infectious diseases have been regulated for many years imagine how many people could be infected by workers
in the country at the legislative level. It is forbidden of the utility services who were blowing leaves, litter
there not only to throw litter in the streets but also to spit and dust around the city.
and feed birds. The latter prohibition seems to be So different approaches in policies, health system
inhumane and even absurd at first glimpse. But it is resources as well as responsibility of the population of
stipulated by the fact that while pigeons are being fed, the country in the period of the pandemic, give quite
they can pick up dust by their wings at squares (Figure different results. On account of this we cannot state that
12). for example the death rate from COVID-19 constitutes
1-3%. It is the same as to speak about an average
temperature of patients in hospital. Thus, for one
country the number of those who have died, constitutes
1.85% from the total number of people infected by
COVID-19 (Ukraine), but for the other country it makes
0.05% (Singapore), that demonstrates the death rate
which is by 37 times higher in Ukraine than in Singapore
(see Table 3). These data also indicate the possibility to
reduce the number of fatal cases from COVID-19.
We should learn our lesson from the current situation,
become stronger and wiser. Now people have realised
better the importance of the social health and individual
health culture as an effective security measure from
COVID-19.
I researched social health as an integral part of a
personality health culture 16 years ago by describing the
phenomenon of “Health culture”, having substantiated
theoretical, methodological and methodic aspects of the
phenomenon “Health culture” (Melnyk, 2004; 2005). At
Figure 12. Information notice on prohibiting activities that time some sceptics considered this idea to be
in Singapore. Courtesy: https://www.reddit.com artificial as they still restricted their theories by health
components: physical, mental, spiritual. It may seem sad
In my opinion blowing dust at squares and in the streets but namely the situation with COVID-19 has shown an
of the city which is overloaded with infected people is important role of social health, as for an individual
not the best idea for cleaning it. Hopefully it is just a person in his connection with the surrounding world and
stupid action of utility services. Still I have not been the mankind on the whole.
allowed by a moderator to publish my electronic petition For already many years (Melnyk, 2002; 2007; 2010;
on the site of the municipal authorities, concerning 2012; 2017; Melnyk & Sviachena, 2000) I have been
prohibition of such kind of cleaning squares and play- stuck to the viewpoint that the most efficient means of
grounds for over six months. Thus since Ukraine is not preserving and improving health of the population is

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