Coronavirus: This virus has exposed weaknesses that threatens our existence

Sep 19, 2021 Dr Zulfikar Bux, Features / Columnists

By Dr. Zulfikar Bux

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center

While this pandemic has taken many lives and left a trail of devastation in its path, it is teaching us a lesson that may be more important for our survival when all of this is over. It has been a disappointing time for humanity as we have shown how difficult it is for us to come together to achieve the common goal of defeating the enemy in the war against COVID-19. Today I wish to focus on the obvious weaknesses in us that have become so obvious during this pandemic.

It thrives on the weak
While we have modernised, our world has become one filled with processed foods, chemicalised diets, more stressed and one with little time for rest. All of these are pro-inflammatory factors that cause excess inflammation in our body and weaken our immune system and general health. Many of us, who have followed the modern trend of fast food diets and the fast life, are the ones that have weakened our health and immune system due to the excess inflammation that comes with such a lifestyle. What we now know is that the coronavirus overwhelms our body by causing a hyper-inflammatory state, which many cannot overcome. This hyper-inflammatory state occurs more efficiently in someone whose body is already inflamed due to poor lifestyle choices. They are therefore at a higher risk of having a poor outcome if infected with COVID-19.

It has shown how divided we are
At the beginning of the pandemic, we were all scared and many came together to support health workers who were at the frontlines fighting the fight. As time went by, we figured out that responsible behaviour and unity in actions were key factors in overcoming this pandemic. It meant that for us to win the war against COVID-19, we all had to speak the same language and take similar actions. The resistance to unity and responsible behaviour has been our biggest downfall and is the reason why we are losing this war so far. This virus has shown us that we cannot work together over time and give a little for the better good of humanity.

It is showing how culpable we are to misinformation
We can’t hide from the fact that we are in the era of the social media driven world. Unfortunately, social media has played a big part in peddling myths about COVID-19 and its treatment to the point where we are believing what was previously thought as unbelievable. Vaccines made with microchips to track us to the virus being spread via 5G technology are misinformation being peddled on social media that are capturing the imagination of too many. Unfortunately, these and many other unbelievable fairytales have become so believable for many causing them to make illogical choices. Vaccines, which have saved us from many diseases and were an accepted norm, have now become the villain because it’s not “trending” as it should be in the social media world.

Are we really the superior species?
While science has shone through and discovered many treatments and measures that could have helped us exit this pandemic, bureaucracy, corruption, and misinformation have prevented us from winning this war. The simplest of actions and treatments to help save us have been riddled with many obscurities by those with selfish agendas and has resulted in many avoidable deaths. While we need to win the war and overcome this pandemic, how we survive as a species is the bigger worry. Our desire to pursue short-term wants is clouding us from seeing the importance of protecting our long-term needs. COVID-19 is more than an infectious disease, it’s a lesson and a wakeup call for humanity. What we learn from it will determine if we survive as a species.

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