BENGALURU : Everywhere I look around, there is only talk of the novel coronavirus. Finally, I understood the meaning of something going viral – the virus not sparing any country!It’s been 10 months perhaps since this unwelcome guest arrived in India. Can anyone say with certainty when this living/non-living thing will vanish? The name of the virus (China virus), because some felt it was racist, itself, and of the disease too, has undergone several mutations.
Recently, a friend asked me if I had any idea when we can be free of this deadly disease. Probably she thought that since I worked in a newsroom, I would be privy to the virus’ comings and goings. Why, even scientists, public health specialists and astrologers are unable to predict its end game with any certainty.
I am wondering, with increasing exasperation, how long this will continue. I know for sure that the world will not be the same. All we have done is add one more deadly infection to the list of diseases. And the threat of a new strain will put more strain on us. Do we have to constantly live in fear?
I feel reassured when I read reports about the virus flattening the curve or the mortality rate coming down. But does the virus know that it is supposed to flatten the curve or that it should start retreating? When I see the absolute numbers, I get scared even to sneeze. What if there is under-reporting (not of sneezing)... that many have not reported for fear of the stigma or the virus itself.At the beginning of the pandemic, some argued that it would disappear on its own during summer. The hot season has gone, but not the virus. Others claimed that herd immunity would kick in once enough people had been infected.
I feel people believe in herd immunity... I see some people going about happily without masks or with masks down the chin. As someone said, the spread of Covid-19 is based on two factors – How ‘dense’ the population is and how ‘dense’ the population is! When will people realise that it is not the virus but the government which has relaxed the norms? With the festival season round the corner, I dread to think what some people’s ‘take it easy’ attitude will lead to.
Why, oh, why aren’t we following the norms — like keeping others at arm’s length or maybe even more? I can see that the Covid fatigue has set in and some want to break the shackles. But please think of the others. All eyes are now on vaccines which are being developed at an unprecedented speed. Why develop a vaccine when we are told that washing hands with soap can ward off the virus?
Hoping that it will simply fade away will not help. It will be soon one year since this enemy virus has invaded our lives. So will we be celebrating its birthday while singing ‘happy birthday’ twice and washing our hands?If only the virus had followed the social distancing norms... not coming close to us... none of us would be in this frightening situation today!