IT IS a wonder why it seems that while death had become closer to us, our social institutions failed to highlight the need to tell and remind people that this could be the worst of situations that Covid-19 had left. I remember when the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the early month of last year, the government, in particular, was busy taking measures to control the spread of the disease.
I can’t understand the situation now because it is very clear that those who died are already familiar personalities. It implies that it is becoming nearer to us and maybe, we hope not, some members of our family would become future victims.
I was informed by my former student from Murcia that her father died of coronavirus. She feels her world is crashing and that she continues to suffer the depression caused by the death of her father.
There is nothing I can do other than extend my condolences on the death of her father while at the same time trying to pacify her with the same situation others are experiencing. I told her, I had my share of sadness recently due to the death of my mother, my half-brother, and a cousin. I said, while this is our situation, many others are feeling the same sadness in these trying times of pandemic.
I can’t imagine how the coronavirus could reach their place because they already live in the remote area of Murcia that I consider the best place that could supply natural oxygen. Although I don’t have any idea whether the victim had gone to other places, the idea of him having contracted to Covid-19 is a remote possibility.
The same experience was with my half-brother, Rodolfo, who also died of pneumonia because of Covid-19. His wife and children had been very protective of him that they confined him only inside the house. But having comorbidities made him an easy target of the disease last month.
He was brought to the Bago City Hospital as he lives in Barangay Calumangan in Bago City and was confined for more than a week in September until his death. His family members were quarantined and his ashes were brought to the cemetery recently after their release from the quarantine facility.
The message is clear that last month’s report on the number of deaths was so far the highest. We don’t know the figures for October because we still have days to go before the month ends. But the data on the number of cases remained stable at more than a hundred per day.
The counting on the number of deaths has transferred to what we see on Facebook and the exchanges of condolences among friends. There is an instance where somebody that posted sympathy on the death of a friend is the one being condoled as he died the next day.
To date, the fight has gone from bad to worse. And what a surprise that death had become an accepted incidence every day and our health authorities remained silent about this.
We can see that what is consistent is the massive inoculation and the reporting on the number of cases detected and the number of deaths.
In the whole Western Visayas, Bacolod City and Negros Occidental remained to have the highest number of new cases every day. The other provinces and cities of the region have already controlled the transmission.
I don’t know what strategy is being employed by our health authorities with the silenced type that we can feel at present. For one, we can also be consistent to remind our authorities that they have a role to play to preserve the life of the people. In our pandemic state, it is not a justification that we can’t do something to save lives because we are in a position of authority.
I hope that while we are near the elections, our people will have the discernment to look for the set of officials that above all, have the dedication to preserve and protect the lives of the people, particularly in helping them survive this pandemic.
Our time is running out. Take note that what's different at the height of this pandemic, is that seldom we could hear guidance and reminders telling us to continue having the courage to fight the coronavirus because we have a government on top of this situation. This is suggestive of a demoralized society where holders of authority are paying the ultimate sacrifice.