The advent of highly infectious and deadly COVID-19 second wave

Khelsoril Wanbe
For a short while, we thought normal times were going to be back again after having been under the dark shadows of Covid-19 for months in 2020. People wished and greeted ‘Happy New Year’ at the beginning of 2021. But, all of a sudden, the ravaging virus is back again and here we are in the terrifying grip of Covid-19 Second Wave. Many have lost their precious lives, many have lost their near and dear ones, many are battling for their lives, and many are living in fear of what might befall them in the coming days. Our lives and future are in the most uncertain situation. Besides the dread for infection and resultant sickness and death, millions are experiencing extremely difficult financial situations. Many have lost their jobs and many their businesses. Our economy has been battered and in shambles and unless the pandemic comes to end soon, it is going to be almost impossible for our economy to stand on its feet again. While in other countries such as the USA, Italy, Germany, UK, France, China, Japan etc the situation seems to have significantly improved, our country is reeling back to the worst kind of pandemic situation. Our country, with its second largest and soon to be the largest population in the world, is facing a formidable challenge to vaccinate all its citizens and protect them from the virus.
Many are attributing the new outbreak to the recent mega religious and political gatherings. It is indeed a very sad experience for us human beings, who are naturally gregarious animals, to be compelled to observe physical and social distancing, and undergo long quarantine, isolation etc. We are going through an abnormal and extremely difficult time with the introduction of new strict SOPs and declaration of containment zones and lockdowns. The only relief being that vaccines have been developed and the vaccination process has intensified and is expected to bring positive results in the form of a drop in number of deaths and infections.
The need to wear a mask mandatorily too is a discomforting experience for most of us. We even hear some people talking about the harmful effects of wearing a mask for a long period and breathing in our own breath repeatedly instead of fresh oxygen. Some even suggest it could be very harmful to the lungs. But, for the time being, during this pandemic time, we cannot help but have to wear it/them to avoid breathing in and breathing out the dreaded virus until Covid-19 virus leaves us for good or is satisfactorily contained.
It is distressing to wonder how many more lives will be lost before the pandemic finally comes to end. We live in a very uncertain time; it could be you or I who will fall prey to the Grim Reaper’s scythe. All we can do is live with utmost care and precaution not to fall an unsuspecting prey to the claws of death that is hovering over us like a hungry eagle. We may have lockdowns in the coming days like we had earlier, but we will need to take utmost care when the unlocking has to happen to avoid virtual unleashing of viral floodgate.
Incidentally, some queries remain unanswered in the mind. What will happen to the millions of underaged who will be left out from the first rounds of vaccination ? Will they be safe or will they be exposed to risks ? How long will they have to wait before they can be vaccinated. In the meantime, a number of disturbing conspiracy theories too have been floating around the Covid-19 pandemic. Some people even went to the extent of suggesting that the virus has been created with the intention to kill millions of people to reduce the population of the world. The question of whether Covid-19 could be man-made or of natural origin too still seems unresolved as we are still caught up in the melee of combating the virus. It is hoped that the secrets will, in course of time, be unravelled and we’ll come to know the truths and facts surrounding the mysterious outbreak of the dreaded virus in the 21st century.  
We need to fight the virus collectively and concertedly to defeat it. We still don’t know how soon but we will definitely overcome this universal ordeal and we will once again be able to live a normal life. We need to extend our full support and cooperation to our Government, representatives and frontline warriors in this daunting fight. Doctors, nurses and other medical workers are going through an extremely harrowing time.
Another surprising requirement in this fight seems to be the need to have genuine fear and respect for this tricky killer virus, which can be reflected in the way we wear masks, use sanitizers, observe social distancing, wash hands and take vaccines. Since the virus is invisible to the eye, we may not have the same fear as we have for lions, tigers or crocodiles. That is one good advantage the virus enjoys that other dreaded animals don’t. What we continue to observe is we are still not used to the essential practice of physical distancing. We still see people thronging together whenever or wherever there is no strict restriction.
Just a few days back, some video clips of people crowding together at some places, apparently for some medical related matters, were uploaded on Facebook and there was the voice of somebody lamenting the crowded situation. He was making an appeal to the authorities concerned to look into the matter. We also see videos of police appealing to the public to observe the SOPs and maintain physical distancing. At such a critical time, the administration and police alone cannot enforce strict adherence to the SOPs; we the public have to extend our cooperation on our own for the sake of our own welfare and safety.
It has indeed been unfortunate that the second wave has erupted owing to several factors. How joyful and triumphant we already had been when the second wave fell out of the blue and took all of us by surprise. Let us all pray in our own ways, irrespective of our religious affiliation, to the Almighty God to take away the disease from our midst and to give us the wisdom, knowledge and power to be able to fight the invisible monster and banish it forever from our bodies, hearts and minds. May the Almighty be with the bereaved families and all of us who are undergoing physical, mental and spiritual suffering because of the pandemic.

The writer is a resident of Thangmeiband Tarung, Imphal