Leaving Covidium
This past two years we have all been inhabiting "Covidium"- a bleak land of Corono virus and variants, blighted by lockdowns, exclusion and full of stories of heartbreak and loss.
I believe by April next year, Covid will be in our rear view mirror.
Reasons for optimism include rapidly modifiable mRNA vaccines for new strains, a highly contagious but more benign Omicrom strain increasing herd immunity and new drugs which vastly reduce hospitalisation and death. These are all here now.
Thus, I think we are transitioning towards an endemic respiratory virus, much like seasonal flu - an illness more amenable to prevention and treatment, one we can learn to accommodate, even in our social societies.
The imperative is for the Western world to accelerate vaccine access and uptake across the globe ....Contributions to Covax and Unicef help in purchasing vaccines for those less fortunate...- "Get One-Give One" - great campaigns which help, but its the WHO and Governmental programmes at greater speed and scale that can really make the difference.
So, right or wrong, I am optimistic that this Christmas will be very happy. It will be happy because I think we will look back and understand that this was our last Christmas condemned to live in Covidium. Next year, I hope and expect we will have more options to spend Christmas however, with whomever and wherever we choose.
Our thoughts and gratitude must go all those at the front lines of this battle -the medical, scientific and front line workers who keep laptop warriors like me going ...for it is they who are doing the real fighting and suffering to try and conquer this plague.
But if they secure us the exodus we all hope for? What a worthy battle that will have been..!! To paraphrase Churchill....never have so many, owed so much, to so few.
Happy Christmas 2021
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