A BATTLE THE HUMAN RACE IS FIGHTING TOGETHER – COVID 19
It was one minute to twelve. To be more precise, twelve in the midnight. The whole world came to a standstill – And the countdown begins …………. The party animals stood quiet with a smile tucked on their sweaty faces, giving a pause to their dancing; the DJs for a moment stood panting; the crowd on the streets stood ready with firecrackers …………….. And the countdown begins ………………. ten, nine, eight …… three, two, one ……. And the world burst out in one single phrase “HAPPY NEW YEAR”. With warm hearts and widespread arms, the world is now ready to hug tight the new year 2020. Covered in a grey mantle, the year 2020 was then standing at the threshold of the Earth – Our Mother Earth. With a sharp twinkle in her eyes and a cruel smile at the corner of her lips which she very cunningly kept suppressed from the crazy, frenzy world, she entered quietly like a cat. Who knew then, what she had in store under her gray mantle for the offspring of Adam and Eve?
Now let’s move a few hours back. 31st December, 2019. The China office of World Health Organization (WHO) received the information of a pneumonia, the cause of which was yet unknown. It was mainly detected amongst the dealers and vendors in the Huanan Seafood market, in the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China. On the very next day of this information, which is the 1st of January, 2020, the Huanan Seafood market of Wuhan, was shut down for being inspected and cleansed. But it was already too late. The new, unknown disease had already started to spread its branches beyond the market itself.
On January 7, the first known death case was reported by China. It was an illness caused by the new corona virus. The victim was a 61 year old man in Wuhan. So far the illness was limited to China. On January 13, the first case outside China was detected. It was in Thailand. This new corona virus has now started on with her journey round the world. Soon after Thailand, the new corona virus moved on to Japan on January 16. And on January 20, it was South Korea and the following day, January 21, USA, who were unfortunate enough to receive this new guest. By now China was already in a miserable state with seventeen dead and already five hundred and fifty affected. The rest of the world looked at China with sympathy, still unknown of what was in store for them in the coming days.
By now North Korea had sealed its boundaries and many countries even checked flights coming from Wuhan. China had to put Wuhan in quarantine. All the trains, flights, and buses departing from the city were cancelled. Even ferries and other mode of transport within the city were put to suspension. But this too couldn’t check the new corona virus from spreading. With a gaping of only a few days, France had her first victim of the new corona virus and Canada too tested a person travelling all the way from Wuhan positive. Australia, and Malaysia too were not deprived by this new guest. These two countries too had their share of the first confirmed cases of the new corona virus at this time. The new disease now travelled all the way from Australia to Germany.
On January 30, WHO declared the outbreak of the new corona virus as a global public health emergency as nearly ten thousand cases of the new illness was reported worldwide. Eighteen countries beyond China were already affected by this novel corona virus. On February 7, Dr. Li Wenliang, who was a Chinese doctor, passed away. He was infected with the new corona virus. It was he who had already issued a warning regarding the spread of a new SARS – like virus before anybody else could recognize it officially. Dr. Li’s death spread a wave of public mourning. The very next day a US citizen dies of the new corona virus in the city of Wuhan. The death rate of China by now has risen to eight hundred and eleven, which had already crossed the death rate of the SARS outbreak in 2003. At last on February 11, the naming ceremony of the new coronavirus disease took place. WHO named it COVID-19 since this new corona virus disease was discovered in the year 2019.
By the first week of March, Iran and Italy became the worst COVID-19 hit countries outside China. COVID-19 was now declared a pandemic by the WHO. And by the mid of March, Italy surpassed China in COVID-19 death toll. By now gradually the major parts of the world was under lockdown. Many countries sealed their international borders. The busy streets became vacant with every place shut down. No schools, no colleges, no offices, no shopping malls, no restaurants, no theatres, no pubs, no night clubs – nothing. The life had come to a standstill. Education and work were both shifted to home. Even terrorism and crime had come to a halt. People forgot terms like accident and suicide, theft and robbery. By now people have started to believe – death is caused in this world only because of the COVID-19.
It is the worst pestilence that has ever fallen upon human civilization. COVID-19, the witch, in her black gown and black pointed hat sitting on her broom is flying around the world, raising her wand to shower death upon mankind. The witch is perplexing the world with her magic spell paralyzing mankind not in hundreds and thousands but in millions and billions.
A strange time it is. Terms like quarantine, isolation, sanitization, lockdown have become fashion of the day. A strange time it is. Masks are more in demand than food.
Mankind has gone into a long hibernation with food stored in their den. But what about the poor and congested countries where a major part of the population are daily wagers or worst still lie below the poverty line. Lockdown has snatched away their food and means to earn for themselves and their families. Researchers all round the world are tirelessly working in search of medicines and vaccines to defeat their indomitable enemy, the COVID-19. Few drugs like “REMDESIVIR”, “HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE”, “LERONLIMAB” are used as part of treatment. Many countries have run short of equipments to treat the patients. Since the COVID-19 is a respiratory tract infection, the patients are needed to be kept in ventilation. Here again each country needs to have sufficient ventilators which compared to the effected patients are running short. Hence, the countries with very high death rates are in a deplorable state like the prisoners in a lost battle.
Well, now what about our Mother Earth? Is she too trembling in scare of this terrible witch? No, the Mother Earth is rather happy with this new friend of hers. At last these human beings are paid well for their greed, for their cruelty and for neglecting the life giving Nature. They had long been paying no heed to her heart rendering wails. They tore her into bits and pieces. She bled everyday but none paid heed to her. While she was wailing in heart rendering pain, they were busy with some new invention. The sound of their nuclear weapons suppressed her cries. Her swelling eyes and heaving bosom went unnoticed in the glare of sophisticated metropolitan cities. But at last these heartless psychopaths are subdued.
Our Mother at last is smiling. The nature finally is breathing. With no vehicles and factories and smokes and sounds, She is finally breathing. The pollution has jumped down a great level. The sky has become bluer. The leaves have become greener. The water has become cleaner. They all are breathing. The birds and animals and fish are happy to see their captivators becoming captives themselves.
Is this new friend of the Earth only a witch for the mankind or for them too is she a friend in disguise? Man had not only forgotten the Mother Earth but had moved way apart from his own kind. Man had not only become cruel to the nature but also to his own race. Our greed for money and power had isolated us from our family and friends. We are now locked down in our homes. Husbands and wives are again spending time with each other. Parents are getting opportunity to spend quality time with their children. The aged parents at last are spending more time with their offspring. At last we are all getting opportunities to explore our unknown fields of interest long suppressed under the burden of building and sustaining a lucrative career. We at last have taken a rest from our daily race and sat down to breathe well finally.
We know not when the mankind will ultimately win the battle against the COVID-19 but hope when she finally retreats, we shall wake up in a new world. Hope the human race takes sufficient lesson from this combat and follow the policy to live and let others live too.
