This tiny little virus with its strange spikey protuberances that is wreaking so much havoc and changing our world as we know it forever. Cryptic Covid-19 is moving from numbers to names and it instils so much fear because it is so cryptic. Yet we cannot allow ourselves to be consumed by the fear. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – HP Lovecraft.
I think their needs to be a little bit of fear but respect is probably a better word. We fear for our lives, we fear for our families our health care workers. We fear for the loss of what was once normalcy we fear for the future of our children.. I certainly think what plays with our minds the most is the UNCERTAINTY of Cryptic Covid–19.
Again I bring up respect because of the uncertainty we all need to certainly respect this virus. You can be positive, asymptomatic yet possibly still spread the virus, you may have mild symptoms or you may land up on a ventilator and die. The uncertainty even if you have had the virus, do you or don’t you develop immunity and for how long the jury is still out on that one.
Healthcare workers can wear all the PPE possible yet still get the virus. We cannot afford to be complacent. Respect the decisions being made in our best interests. It all comes down to common good, connections of all people respect and compassion for all especially the vulnerable.
Wear your masks in public, stay away from your elderly parents or anyone who is immuno compromised as hard as it may be, it could prevent a lot of heartache. Adhere to social distancing, don’t take chances at large social gatherings. Be careful while trying to be as normal as we can. Be sensible. Life does need to go on.
We need to have faith and hope. Faith in our leaders and hope that they really are acting in our best interests. Hope that our lives will get back to some kind of normal even if it is a new normal. Hope for a cure or a vaccine. Hope that the economic devastation will be overcome. Compassion for all the loss of life and livelihood’s. Compassion and assistance from those of us who can help the needy and the vulnerable.
Guilt and stigma.
Two words that seem to surface a lot when it comes to cryptic covid-19. Most of us think and hope it won’t happen to me. But this little virus certainly does not discriminate. The guilt if you do contract the virus instils fear in passing it on to loved one’s and those who are so vulnerable and further economic hardship when a breadwinner has to self isolate because of exposure.
I really dislike the word stigma it is an ugly word. Why do we as humans stigmatize its certainly happening with Covid, but I also think as the virus spreads exponentially we realize it is now moving from numbers to names, it’s the people we know.
Conspiracy theories. Where did this virus come from Bats, Pangolins a Wuhan wet market! Was this virus created in a lab in Wuhan, China? The way this virus is behaving and mutating and causing so much uncertainty and fear it is certainly a question to ask. Will we ever know the truth. Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth – Pema Chordron.
The Impact on our healthcare system.
The exponential spike in covid-19 cases in South Africa is putting a huge amount of strain on our very fractured health care system. Its scary to hear that the majority of our private hospitals are at full capacity and cannot take in any more covid cases.
So many of our private clinics have had to close for short periods of time because of staff and patients contracting the virus. You hear horror stories in regard to our public sector hospitals. This to spite the fact that the reason for our original hard lockdown was to prepare our health care services. Never mind the economic devastation.
The other big question?
What about the other non communicable diseases. Cancer, HIV Aids, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and TB to name a few. The every day elective procedures have been greatly reduced or delayed. The additional burden on the hospitals every patient has to be tested for covid before any procedure no matter how small. The impact on mental health when you think you may have cancer and you are told you have to come back in 3 months time.
Delays or postponement in treatment and the long term ramifications. Patients to afraid or not managing to get transport to get to hospitals for chronic medications. The consequences of this could be dire. The impact on our Non Profit organizations. So much of the normal funding diverted to Covid-19 and patients not being able to get the support they so desperately need. My biggest fear when we do return to some form of normalcy. Will our health care system manage to get back to some form of normalcy or is this to much to contemplate.
We all have to face this reality together, support one another have faith, hope, compassion, respect and sensibility. We will get through this Cryptic Covid-19 as it is moving numbers to names. Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom – Marilyn Ferguson.
Author: Nicole Fuller
I am a former elite/springbok distance runner, Oncology Patient Navigator, Breast Cancer Exercise training specialist, speaker and Breast Cancer Survivor
