My battle with corona

It was late May and there were important commitments in the village that could not be avoided without damaging social cost. It was amidst the fear of corona that we left for the village after postponing the decision. True to expectations, there were no SOPs, no social distancing and no fear of anything called coronavirus in this microcosm of rural Pakistan. There was that characteristic fatalism in the air, laden with comments like, Allah maalik hay, yeh sub sazish hay (this is a conspiracy), etc. Rural folks went about life, negating or unknowing the risk.

In “Battling the Virus — Random Thoughts”, published in March, I had alluded to the futility of social distancing in urban slums, inner cities and rural Pakistan. Now I was experiencing it firsthand. There was no way to avoid contact during these mandatory social gatherings without being embarrassingly impolite. Due care was taken but there were people with symptoms all over. Some acute, some mild and some infected but probably asymptomatic. It was disease in full swing. Fever, dry cough and other symptoms were widespread and local doctors through an outdated test diagnosed as typhoid.

First my wife got it, then myself and then my daughter. Throat infection led to bone crushing and energy-sapping low-grade fever. I lost my sense of smell, she lost her sense of taste also and our daughter got a dry cough as an additional symptom. We both mercifully did not have cough. Instead of going for testing, which was far away, chaotic, risky and unreliable, as stories went around; we just decided to self-isolate in our sprawling rural home and observe the Covid-19 protocol. Thankfully, a bunch of college class fellows, who are senior and experienced doctors across K-P hospitals, were always handy and helpful to guide, prescribe and check on us telephonically. Overcoming fear remained the battle cry.

Spouse was surprisingly quick to recover, I and my daughter battled with low-grade fever for 10 solid days, enduring body aches and a fatigue that is not yet fully gone. Panadol with four-to-six-hour intervals depending upon the fever and antibiotics for throat infection were taken besides juices, fruits, dates and occasional soup and qahva. We did not go overboard with all those internet totkas. After recovery in three weeks; the anti-bodies test positively established we had the virus.

The jury is still out on this novel virus and there are discoveries on a daily basis that baffle the scientific community. Here are my two cents without any claim to know anything closer to what the experts know. These personal thoughts are based upon the ground realities as these exist, and not the way we or the government would want these to be. We should brace up for some uncomfortable truths.

First, this virus is there to stay. Any claim to eliminate it completely would be scientifically untenable. Recently we have seen polio virus and TB contagion coming back, for example, after lofty claims by World Health officials about their extinction. The latest coronavirus research verifies infection transmission during incubation, even by entirely asymptomatic people and the cough/sneeze droplets remaining airborne longer than previously thought. This and the “super spreader” theory makes avoidance and elimination nearly impossible. So containment of the virus and protecting the healthcare systems from being overwhelmed should be the central tenants of strategies to fight Covid-19. The government is perhaps, drifting in the same direction. Protection of the elderly, infirm and vulnerable segments be the priority.

Second, testing is superfluous. We are into a futile figure game that is not purposeful. “So many people got infected in the last 24 hours, etc. with region-wise break down…” has just become a daily ritual. Though data be compiled, we need to focus on fatalities — correctly ascertained and modeled/simulated — as a viable indicator. Though frankly this exercise is also suspect. However, fatalities be the basis of policy guidance about lockdowns, etc. This indicator as of today is not bad at all. Its cost-benefit comparison to the economic damage be carefully weighed. We might have different conclusions.

Third, Chinese testing kits give up to 60% accuracy; those of other countries slightly more. The skills and training of the testing staff also leave gaps. This is also just another way for some people to make money. Testing positive can be extremely distressing for some, nose-diving their remnant immunity, demoralising and stigmatising their families. Emphasis should be on self-isolation at home, once infected and on state-subsidised anti-bodies test after recovery.

Fourth, lock-down is simply not implementable. We must thank Allah for the light touch of this unseen form, compared to its ravages among the bold and beautiful and the rich and famous. South Asia’s innate immunity is just one factor among the many unknowns about the mutation and behaviour of this virus. However, this disease like all pandemics will run its full course globally. Countries claiming to be Covid-free should just wait. Infection is only a matter of time. It will continue just like the flu virus and will subside with vaccine and/or herd immunity or both.

Fifth, our societal resilience — dubbed as “jahil awam” by our suit-and-tie leadership — is a blessing in disguise. People don’t shun and abandon you in villages if you are unwell. We had strange thoughts — during those empty days — about being buried in the village; rather than in the city, where even the closest urbanite family members may feel uncomfortable because of the virus oozing out from the body — which is not the case scientifically. Our social norms protect the mental health of those sick/vulnerable.

Sixth, our state of infections is far more than the state machinery can fathom. Mercifully most Pakistanis have better resilience, stronger immunity, the power of faith and the can-do spirit about life and disease. Although we are inching towards herd immunity by default, unlike Sweden, which has done so by design; we need to be prepared for its fall out. Swedes are shunned by neighbouring Scandinavians and Europeans, being carriers of infection. South Asia and Pakistan is hurtling down that road. The government needs to be prepared for travel bans from-to Pakistan and the economic costs. However, this may eventually play out differently as restrictions generally bolster creativity.

And lastly, social distancing is not practical and possible over long run. Human society cannot survive without human touch, interaction and intimacy. Locked-up humanity might save itself from the tiny virus but would pay a greater cost in mental health and lost relationships. Likewise, you cannot be masked all the time. It is unnatural and impractical. Following the West blindly has ramifications.

Allah has willed certain things as “taqdeer-e-muayyana” (the enduring fate) and that should be the bedrock of our defence against corona after taking humanly possible precautions; remembering that “the Unseen has decided to be seen through an unseen being”. Fear needs to be overcome. Urbane Pakistan should stop fearing, dying daily and start living.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2020.

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