So, I have never seen what we are seeing today and believe
that the world that I’ve known will never be what it was! I remember World War
II quite well, it was a war, we knew who the enemy was and there was preparedness
for combat. But the COVID-19 pandemic is proving to be a furtive adversary,
threatening people in more than 200 countries and challenging even the most
advanced healthcare systems in the world. If this is World War III, then it
would go down in the annals of history and medicine as one, which in just 100
days, overwhelmed humanity and infected more than 1.5 million people and
snatched 88,000 lives.
SARS-CoV-2, a 120 nm virus has brought the world to
virtually a standstill. It has made us pause, stop and think. It has made us realize
that the world we live in today has no borders. It has made us think that what
we thought indispensable can actually be done away with. It has made us aware
that we as a human race can break the barriers that we have erected and as a
united force, can take on any challenge. It has made us recognize the amazing
ability we have to find solutions in record time. It has made us appreciate the
beauty of stillness. It has made us rekindle the power of finding solace in the
arms of family members.
Doctors and researchers came together across the globe and unraveled
the genome of SARS-CoV-2 in days. Diagnostic kits were rapidly, clinical and
vaccine trials were initiated in record time. Our understanding has improved
considerably in managing patients with COVID-19, we now have efficacious medication
and we are at the cusp of using newer therapy.
The public and private sector
came together to take on SARS-CoV-2. A countrywide lock down when there were
less than 600 cases for a country of 1.35 billion is unprecedented in history
and without parallel. People, even though inconvenienced, have realized that
this action needed to be taken in the larger interest of the nation. There will
be huge economic consequences but the decision was imperative in the larger
interest of citizens. If there is health, only then can there be wealth .
Hopefully, the lessons we would have learnt about living
within the parameters defined by the lock down without dependence on what was
once unimaginable, will stay with us. Who would have thought that virtual
meetings can be as meaningful as they have turned out to be? Who would have
thought that social distancing as a term would not only find its place in our
vocabulary but also our day to day lives? Who would have thought we can demonstrate
such discipline collectively? We will now have a new definition of what is
normal, a new normal has taken shape in 2020. Life will never be the same
again.
AUTHOR:
RIWITICK BARUAH,
ROTARY CLUB OF DIBRUGARH, ASSAM
RID 3240.
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