COVID-19: The Three Versions of a Unique Story

 

Coronavirus, with two million cases and forty-three thousand fatalities in India and continuous economic afflictions, is trending hot. The relentless growth (of cases) creates an unparalleled paranoia. Is it all bad or can we take some good out of it? This is not the first crisis that we face, but it’s the first time the world has come together to fight one. There are multiple ways to view this.

Bad: What started as an innocuous viral infection in a small corner, has traveled all over and infected more than a billion people with 723000 fatalities. Health systems have been overwhelmed and critical patients have been denied admissions due to the unavailability of beds. The deaths have clogged the cemeteries and crematoriums. Due to the infective nature of the dead bodies, the dead have been denied an honorable final journey. Increased need for isolation and specific therapy has led to inflated bills and corrupt practices by some hospitals, the weight of which is directly borne by the patient.

Ugly: One in six people have stopped working since the onset of the coronavirus with the biggest contributors being the failure of small business and layoffs in salaried jobs. A worse post-covid crisis may be unfolding if this is not addressed seriously and well in time. Unemployment leads to confusion, anger, and insecurity and if peoples’ skills are side-lined, it may be hard to rebuild the economy. It is important to take immediate and significant actions, improving the situation of jobless workers.

Humans are social animals. Many have anxiety, irritation, and sometimes depression too. Lockdowns complicate this. Levels of loneliness and self-harm have increased, especially for ones living alone and the elderly. Elevated stress meddles with an average person’s daily routine leading to high stress in society.

Good: There is a silver-lining though! For every shocking news, we have had an equal number of good ones like stories of good samaritans or the one with a cleaner world with gleaning rivers and Himalayas visible from long distances. Nature finally gets a break from pollution. Lesser traffic has directly transferred into lesser accidents on the roads.

Coronavirus has given the world a lesson of not underestimating any problem. It makes us believe that together we can beat anyone. The pandemic teaches us to look at the bright side, even when you are going through challenging times.