Remembering Covid

It is easy to forget that we continue to live in a time of pandemic – given that in Pakistan at least most people appear to have given up any practices intended to guard against the Covid-19 virus, with masks disappearing from faces and people abandoning social distancing measures in public places across the country. Restaurants, malls and tourism destinations have reopened, giving the economy a much-needed boost. But have we forgotten too soon? Pushed away memories of packed hospitals and a daily toll of deaths?

This could have dangerous consequences. While Pakistan has done well in controlling the virus, for reasons that some scientists say are mysterious, and encouraging news reports have appeared across the world praising Pakistan and attempting to understand the factors that led to its success story, including a young demographic age for much of the population, possible herd immunity and other factors, the reality is that the virus still lurks. On Thursday, 10 deaths and 424 new infections were reported. This is a higher number than the previous average. It is uncertain for now, if the upsurge is linked in any way to the gatherings over Eidul Azha and Muharram. There are also pockets where the virus has appeared in the northern areas which have recently seen a surge in tourism. All this is reason enough for caution. We must hope there is no new increase in the number of infections Pakistan is facing. However, it would be unwise to be optimistic too soon. So far the country has done well. But we must not lower our guard yet.

We have managed to defeat the virus far more effectively than India and many other countries around the world but the shadow it could cast over us and our economy, has still not vanished. For these reasons, care and awareness need to be observed at every moment. At the same time, conspiracy theories that need to be done away with still exist. We do not know when a vaccine will be made available to people in the country or if an effective one will be found at all. And what the situation is regarding reinfection. There have been reports from other countries that reinfection can occur and that antibodies stay in the body for only a limited period of time. We still know very little about the virus. This makes it all the more imperative that Pakistanis follow the SOPs laid down and ensure they do nothing that could help this dangerous disease spread further and take a greater toll on people everywhere in the country. We must work together to ward off possible disaster.