Question: Can you tell us about the existing strategies and initiatives by the public health team at theMinistry of Health and IHS in preparation of and during the COVID-19 pandemic? DK: In my view, Brunei has responded to the pandemic very well so far. Communication to the public has beentransparent and clear, with daily credible updates widely disseminated. The various agencies have co-ordinated their response efficiently and effectively in a whole of government approach, which is absolutelyessential in managing the pandemic. As of 6 May 2020, we have had 139 cases, with 94% (113) recoveredcases and 1 death since the first COVID-19 positive case about 2 months ago. The health infrastructure to manage a pandemic was ramped up before the first few cases appeared, andquarantine facilities prepared in advance. A new building to house a laboratory for COVID-19 testing was builtwithin 2 weeks. Strong initiatives such as quarantine and isolation, travel restrictions, social distancingmeasures, and public health education have been swiftly and decisively implemented. COVID-19 testing andsurveillance is widespread, which decreases the likelihood of undetected cases. Contact tracing has beenthorough and conducted well, with good follow up.  Health care for the infected patients has been excellent,and all patients have access to the best care available. And of course, the co-operation and support from the public has been tremendous. Generally, the public hasheeded the advice of the government and complied with the measures that have been put in place, eventhough some of these have been inconvenient.  The outpouring of public support for all the frontline workers(which include more than just healthcare workers) has been overwhelming and much appreciated. In IHS, our staff have responded very responsibly and quickly to the pandemic. Staff and students have beeninformed of these developments and everyone has co-operated well and been willing to adapt to thesechanges. Teaching, meetings and some exams have gone online, and non-essential staff have been workingfrom home where possible. Flexibility in reconsidering the nature of exams and assessments were granted toteaching staff. As part of COVID-19 initiative and support, the university has also provided students withcomplimentary SIM cards with 25GB of monthly data as a need-based aid to enable a smooth transition tovirtual learning.   Our health staff and students have volunteered to help the health efforts on many fronts, from contact tracingto clinical care. Our IHS colleagues have also been generous and forthcoming in collecting funds to purchaseitems which would be helpful to our health care heroes – not only food or drinks, but also producing essentialequipment such as a plexiglass protective boxes with armholes for aerosol generating procedures such asintubation; and assembling personal protective equipment such as face shields for distribution. At the same time, we have initiated several research projects related to COVID-19. Researchers frommultidisciplinary backgrounds have assembled to start on these projects. As of 6 May, 2020, IHS staff have atleast 7 publications appearing in international refereed journals on COVID-19. The first paper, entitled“Occupational risks of COVID-19”, was published in February 2020, even before the first case of COVID-19was detected in Brunei (9 March 2020)! The number of hits in terms of readership of these papers has beenhigh, as these publications are open access and freely available. Another one of the papers, entitled“Treatment of COVID-19: old tricks for new challenges” has been made into a video for the influential VuMediwebsite. At times like these, we all have a sense of gratitude and pride to be in Brunei and in IHS. B E Y O N D | J A N . T O M A R . 2 0 2 0 | I S S U E 2 0 2The following responses were collected over a digital interview with some of the COVID-19 research team membersat IHS: Prof. David Koh, DK; Dr. Goh Poh Hui (PH) and Prof. Kenneth Kok (KK)IHS staff assembling face shields (left) which were donated to medical staff working on the COVID-19 frontline(right)C O V I D - 1 9 U P D A T E S F R O M I H S
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