SOMETIME last year, we were still sharing updates from the Department of Health about the number of PUIs (persons under investigation) and PUMs (persons under monitoring) and Covid-positives, urging friends to take extra care because active cases have already breached the 1,500-mark.
The Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region’s Regional update as of September 2, 2021 at 5 p.m. placed the total active cases in Davao City alone at 5,817 and new cases for the day was 372. Worse, transmission is now on a household level, no longer just community level.
Sad though because the vigilance seems to be no longer there. It seems that people see Covid as so very 2020, it’s old news. Some even scoff at the numbers pointing out that of the 38,481 total cumulative cases since Covid cases have been listed down, only 1,225 died, not even 5 percent. True. But go ask a survivor of the sufferings he had to endure, go ask the relatives of the 1,225 of the pain of not even being there for their loved ones because protocols disallow. And then try to feel for them.
Living a solitary life a walking distance from my mom, I still get antsy when going out for that necessary grocery run even as I have already trimmed it down to just once a month from my weekly schedule. Call me paranoid, but the thought is always about what if I’m already a carrier and symptoms come only after I’ve walked to mom’s?
I’ve listened to guilt feelings of friends who have been infected. How many more have they infected before they found out they have the virus? This debilitating guilt trip is added to the burden of fear on what the days ahead will bring -- whether it’s a death sentence or a happy recovery. The uncertainties can be overwhelming.
And still, there are the unbelievers, the feeling immortals, one of whom even calls on his followers to not believe there is Covid. People like this who tempts me to wish ill, but I guess, this is part of the lessons Covid is teaching us, among which are:
* What’s important in life.
There’s only so much we really need, we can do without a lot of things we splurged on before.
* It’s all about being mindful of how we affect the people around us.
We do not have to do it at heroic scale, we just have to be thoughtful of others.
Imagine telling people not to believe there is this highly transmissible virus and likening it to the thousands who also die worldwide of cancer and heart ailments, to downplay what’s going on worldwide. How many have listened and disregarded the threat? I wonder. How many of those who listened were infected and how many more did they infect?
These are ethical questions we should be asking ourselves. What have we contributed? Good or bad? And then through just our basic thoughtfulness, let us opt to do as advised -- wear face mask, keep distance and minimize social functions -- so that we keep other people safe.
What about that zombie thing? All I can say is that you’ve been watching too many zombie movies, your brain cells have been fried. Do yourself a favor and use your brain more. saestremera@gmail.com