THE BATTLE OF COVID-19

The Battle of COVID-19

As the moon waxes and wanes, so does COVID-19 – apparently. At the height of its attack, these little heat-seeking missiles homed in on their primary targets, the elderly and the frail. The coronas caused carnage especially in nursing homes and the likes. However, the good news is that the pandemic is waning. Even in those deep pockets of resistance, the corona madness seems to be very much in retreat.

As in the aftermath of every war, world economies are often left in tatters through the expenditure of blood and treasure fighting the enemy. However, the tactics used in this coronavirus war have been unusual. Instead of factories running 24/7 producing munitions, the worker, i.e., the “non-essential” workers were ordered by governments to stay at home. Most reasonable people were happy to comply voluntarily. Some were even able to work from home. However, this was unfeasible for others.

As moons waxed and waned people began to observe certain inconsistencies in some of their authorities. The lunacy of being arrested for sitting alone on a park bench, for example. People began to notice that their freedoms were being ignored and, in some places, even eroded. Constitutions were wantonly ignored by some authorities, as if somehow a pandemic nullifies certain basic human rights.

There was pushback. There were protests. There were narks. There even were threats from authorities. There was turmoil in every nation as they tried to get a handle on how best to fight this insidious enemy. Herd-immunity, self-isolation, or both? If you are infected, then stay at home. Do not visit the most vulnerable, especially the sick, the frail, and the elderly. Close national borders? Close state borders?

It didn’t seem to matter what was done to try to combat it, wave after wave of the attackers landed on practically every shore. But then the tide began to turn. And, as the beachcombers began raking through the flotsam and jetsam, it became clear that the coronavirus infection rate was far higher than had been anticipated, but the casualties were far lower than first prophesied. Many people had had the disease without ever even knowing it.

Two things can be surmised from the after action review:

1.      The experts got it so completely wrong with their extravagant predictions. Hospitals were emptied of patients, non-elective surgeries were cancelled, ongoing medical treatments were put on hold, many people were afraid to go for check-ups lest they catch the dreaded plague at these places. All of this in anticipation of monumental influx of COVID-19 casualties that never transpired. To be sure, this is a good thing, but too many hospital facilities lay dormant when they could have been looking after people with other ailments and afflictions.

2.      God hears prayer. Christians were praying that the triune God would stay the hand of the angel of death. World leaders were prayed for. Families, friends, and even enemies were prayed for. Thanks be to God, though one death is one too many, the countless millions of deaths predicted by the “experts” did not materialise.

As depicted in the movie “Dunkirk", the kind hand of Providence calmed the wind and the waves, as we launched our rescue boats on the outgoing tide. Yes, sadly, there were still too many casualties, and may God comfort those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, but the vast majority have been saved.

May God be pleased to help us to rebuild our economies as we begin to open up for business once more. May laughter ring once again from the pubs and restaurants. May the crowds roar once more in the sports stadiums (stadia). May the ma and pa businesses get their employees back intact. May the big companies and corporations have learned their lesson, that charity begins at home.

But may we never forget the lesson that we have learned from this COVID-19 war, that “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all our heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’, and ‘your neighbour as yourself’” Luke 10:27.

Therefore, you can have a rant about how the so-called experts got it all so wrong during this war. Or you can give thanks to God for sparing us from their predicted numbers. I know which one I’ll be doing.