Battling the Powerful Biological Enemy
By Rafiq Ebrahim
Glendale Heights, IL
Yes, everyone is shaken, mentally and physically. Looking at the figures of infected persons and the deaths caused by this unforeseen, diabolical virus, one shivers and wonders if he could be another target.
The situation, extremely grave as it is, should not make people lose hope. It demands a thoughtful and vigorous battle against the pandemic. And this could be only possible if drastic measures are taken, some of which are now being done, though quite late.
It looks like a long devastating battle against the virus, but hopefully it can be won. Human history has pages about unthinkable blasts of diseases and organisms like the Spanish Flu in 1918, Ebola and many prehistoric disasters that have wrecked humanity, but in the end, man has come up victorious.
People should not lose hope. The fight is in progress, though America woke up rather late. This grim outlook would have been different and somewhat brighter if we had reacted when it was detected in China. Ashish Jha, Director of The Harvard Global Health Institute, points out, “If we had got on top of this thing two months ago, America would look very, very different right now.”
The Four Ps
Amid the battle, four Ps are necessary.
Preventive Measures: By now we all know how to save ourselves against the infection: frequent washing of hands, using sanitizers, wearing gloves and masks, practicing social distancing and staying at home – as far as possible. These are things that the common people can do.
Productive Efforts: Our scientists, researchers, doctors, health workers and those who work in hospitals and labs are on their toes even with inadequate equipment and supplies and acute shortage of hospital beds. Efforts are also being made to discover the drugs to treat Corona virus and get the vaccines ready.
Prayers: Prayer is a powerful factor in all cases. It is the single most factor that can alter the laws of Nature, so it is time we all seek forgiveness for our sins and wrongdoings and firmly believe in God and seek help. God’s help will not be far away.
Patience: This calamity, this biological enemy, is supposed to be active for quite some time, but one should never lose hope. Hopefully, the graph of deaths and sickness would taper soon. A silver lining in the looming darkness is that about eighty per cent of those who are infected suffer mild sickness, and recover soon.
Though it will take time to tame the Corona virus, maybe a few weeks or months, but the ingenious mind of man will inevitably triumph.
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