SURFING THE WAVES

It appears we are continuing our partial lockdown largely because of the ‘third wave’ that’s on its wave; sorry, I meant on its way.

When you hear the word ‘wave’ all the time, and with the next one said to be lurking just around the corner, it slips mischievously into normal conversation. But, seriously, the ‘wave’ idea is getting just a bit obsessive. And what about the word ‘normal’? Gone; extinct.  In normal (sorry) conversation we now have the word ‘new-normal’. My English teacher would weep if he heard that the ‘new-normal’ word(s) had arrived, ready to enter the Oxford English dictionary. Even unhappier of course that the internet dictionaries are pushing the book versions towards the local museum.

Mind you, he didn’t have a smartphone, access to an ATM, orable to have new teeth screwed into where the old ones used to be. And I don’t think he ever used ‘LOL’ against my career prospects on my school reports. So he has to forgive the world, changing exponentially every decade, for modifying its vocabulary to fit reality. You may have formed the view that a year of COVID-19 and observing all the abnormalities (did you see how it smuggled itself in there) created by it have driven me to the brink of insanity. Well, not quite, but I do confess to being more prone to flippancy and a degree of whimsicality; both curable by the way. Like everyone, I’m fed up with COVID-19 and have decided that one way of dealing – as with life generally – is by making fun of the enemy; though definitely not making light of the tragedies caused by the pandemic and the very sad losses experienced. That has been traumatic for so many families; my deepest condolences to them.

Anomalies

Examining the quirks in government attempts around the world to do the best for their people has revealed a lot of anomalies. First, the cover-up by the country where COVID-19 actually emerged, showing political rivalry to be more important than protecting human lives. Then the irony that the same country became one of the three most successful, out of 190-odd countries, in controlling it. After which you had the rich countries buying up nearly all the vaccine and now an EU country stopping vaccine produced in its country being exported to another country. How about us going back to the Stone Age and starting again? I bet they didn’t have pandemics in those days. Well, of course not; they didn’t live long enough to catch anything. BTW, that’s a joke. I must watch the irony.

The allegedly definite incidence of a third wave is not based on scientific or biological fact. This COVID-19 doesn’t have to be a carbon copy of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 100 years ago. Eminent epidemiologists have been arguing that it is more likely that pandemic waves, just like their aquatic relatives out in the ocean, are a function of the variables and not the virus. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic the variables are weather, regulations, human behaviour, increased testing and, now, vaccination. The Spanish Flu had three waves of which the second, not the third, was the worst and caused by soldiers moving back to home cities all over Europe.  That was the variable. COVID-19 has, like other viruses in history, mutated in terms of its characteristics; and future variants are undeniably a factor. But in some countries, like ours, the ‘second wave’ might have been a function of human behaviour, probably during a part of the year when people congregate to celebrate – affectionately known as ‘the festive’.

Approach

Many will therefore argue that continuing the partial lockdown, when our infection and death figures show a remarkable reduction, is a somewhat timid approach, and ignoring the hardship faced by business and non-government employees. Barring an illogical devotion to an imminent third wave it has to be government’s conviction that only vaccination is the totally safe route; and that’s right. So where’s the vaccine? Last week we were told ‘unforeseen circumstances’ had delayed it, with no detailed explanation. Now it’s ‘end of this week’. Sounds good but how much; 20 doses? Of course not, but if it’s coming, then the figures are surely known.

The government statement last week did not scream its concern about the delay in the opening of schools; as if it’s just an inconvenience rather than a serious danger to the future of the nation. The ongoing damage there is much greater than publicised. Let’s recognise we won’t eliminate the pandemic until full vaccination; forget about your average 10 infections daily – broader testing will muddy those waters; zero deaths is what matters; just vaccinate health workers and the medically and exceptionally challenged; then open up, surfing the waves, against a background of a hugely reduced serious risk to others. I shouldn’t need to mention what South Africa is doing.

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