 |
In the weeks that followed, a novel coronavirus – later on identified as SARS Cov-2, known to cause the COVID-19 disease, topped in the international news headlines. The virus spread faster than it was thought that, it had literally gone viral (pun intended) in social media. Soon, while epidemiologists learned more information about the virus and the disease, worldwide, scores of people get the infection and among them –especially the elderly and those with health issues succumbed to COVID-19 related deaths. The alarmingly increasing global morbidity and mortality rates (even up to the present), prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it as a pandemic!
Rumors had it that reports about the coronavirus surfaced as
early as November (2019), and considering the scarcity if not lack of knowledge
about the virus, it could’ve started transmitting earlier than it was reported.
In hindsight, this virus could’ve been carried by a few passengers in the
Carnival ship we’re in. Who knows? That cruise we took happened in a good
timing. Otherwise, had we scheduled it during the Spring Break, it could’ve
become a long, unwanted, crazy and life-threatening ordeal of a quarantine hell!
The COVID-19 pandemic happens to be the second in my
lifetime, AIDS being the first. But its impact is nowhere near AIDS. Other known pandemics include the bubonic
plague or Black Death in the 14th-15th century, and the
Spanish flu pandemic in 1918. Humanity is so continuously under constant threat
with emerging deadly diseases, many were feared to reach pandemic proportion if
they were not prevented promptly. There was MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), SARS
(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), Swine Flu (H1N1), Ebola and Zika.
This current pandemic
seems like a curse or a nightmare people would unimaginably want. Global
lockdown, in an attempt to avert COVID-19 transmission, has been extremely catastrophic
in many fronts. It has needlessly yet significantly altered the way people live,
and die! It caused massive job loss, occurring at exponential rate. Many
families plunged into the uncertainty of having food in their next meal, or
keeping the roof above their heads. With
schools closing at all levels, working parents got extra work – helping their children
with school works. Certain aspects of life stood still. No travels, no dining
out, no parties, no bars. Loved ones died alone, and were buried with neither
the traditional rituals nor requiem. So
sad and depressing, these sordid states of affairs have immensely taken a tool
on people’s (including children’s) mental health.
Our school’s spring break in March was ending, and as I was
reluctantly conditioning myself back to work when the announcement extending
the break to another week came. I was extremely delighted to hear about getting
another week long break! Little did I know that it marked the beginning of the
big catastrophe looming, threatening humanity for the rest of the year, with no
end in sight until now.
However, in an unprecedented manner, vaccines against the
SARS Cov-2 virus are beginning to be administered.
This is a significant development in the multifaceted efforts to beat the
deadly virus, and it provides a sliver of hope in the still long and arduous
on-going fight against the disease.
Definitely, the year 2020 will be well remembered with the
occurrence of this pandemia, and will go
down in the books as another deadliest one!
Meanwhile, life must continue to be lived on. And as we bid adieu to 2020, let us rejoice and celebrate life as we welcome, with high
hopes and great optimism, the new year 2021.
Happy new year to all!
------
Please leave your
comments and follow me in my blogs.
Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment