People are not so afraid of the pandemic. They are scared of the curbs and lockdowns, which are unequivocally life-threatening. People are not so afraid of the infection. But they are scared of the horrendous treatments and cost of hospitalisation.
The third wave never happened as the government warned and the public feared. Massive preparations were afoot as if to fight a big war. Months passed. People moved fearlessly. Nothing worse happened. But those with vested interests continued to wait for the arrival of the wave. Some reactions of our leaders showed they were waiting for the new variant novel Coronavirus so that they could hide their problems and control the flourishing ‘pandemic‘ market. But, this time I doubt whether they can be fortunate with the same product. They may try to re-label the product in line with the mutation of the virus.
Now Europe is in a mess of Omicron. The US reports an alarming rise in the new virulent Covid-19 variant. Some African countries had reported big numbers, but hardly a worrisome picture. For Africans, poverty has been a worry. They have nothing else to worry about, while there are several things for the rich countries to bother with. That is why media in the US, Europe and even India celebrate the Omicron wave with news in larger print space. We have seen, the pandemic time was bad for the media. Yet, they celebrate the possibility of the pandemic spreading.
The two large Indian cities, Mumbai and Delhi are on the focus, keeping them under alert much for the misery of the people. The Central and local governments count daily numbers to add to the fear of people. The media has dedicated pages for the Omicron stories. Experts continue to predict a wave ever since June 2001. The governments have pressed the panic button. The Central government has issued alert notices to States. The new terms like curbs and restrictions have replaced the treacherous lockdown. The poll-bound States have some reliefs.
No sensible person will repeat a mistake several times. An entrepreneur making repeated losses will close the loss-making business and become more careful. Money is more important. Leaders’ concern about public health is only a façade because they don’t bother about the livelihood of the public and concern of entrepreneurs in the aftermath of the pandemic. It seems the government has the right to lock people for five years. People have the right to elect the government only once in five years. In a democracy, even free birds have the problem.
Many people face distress upon the mislaid step in combating the pandemic. More than 850 farmers have committed suicide even after billions of rupees loan waivers, showing that they have faced something more brutal than Covid-19. But who bothers about them? None. For everyone, Covid-19 is a determiner of existence. Whether it is the Covid-19 or poverty, flood or global warming that causes more death is a matter of question.
If one asks how well the vaccination protects a person from infection, the answer would be ambiguous. Eighty percent of Omicron victims are vaccinated-people. Some people even took the so-called 3rd dose as a booster. As the vaccination coverage expands, Omicron also strikes new numbers. Nevertheless, the fully-vaccinated people get entry into where unvaccinated ones are forbidden. The rationale is tough to understand. None – not even a hardcore anti-vaccine activist – questions it.
Lawmakers make unquestionably irrational laws. Lockdown and entry-ban on unvaccinated ones are not different from keeping people behind bars. The periodic relaxations come like a bail. During the last two years, people got bail every six months. People are used to it. The lockdown and mass vaccination haven’t stopped the pandemic. It needs either a natural correction or to let it be endemic. We shouldn’t lose our sense. As Plato said: Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, the solution for every common issue lies in the lap of nature.
