Corona-Corona

  •   Sat, May 23 2020
  •   By Dr Urban J A D’Souza, PhD, FRSB (London), Udyavar

May 23, 2020

This Sunday morning, I started my day by partaking in the online YouTube Sunday mass in Konkani by Fr Manuel Dias of Sanctuary of St Joseph Vaz, Sancoale Goa. I was taken aback by the homily where the father narrated the noise that was heard over the years among human beings.

Corona brought everything to a standstill. The entire world went into silence! Scientifically, corona was named COIVD-19 a new virus that was first detected in the city of Wuhan, China in early December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese Health authorities were successful enough in establishing the etiological organism, a novel (new) virus named coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It is a large family of viruses causing respiratory infections from the common cold to very dangerous diseases like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in human beings.

The currently discovered coronavirus causes COVID 19 infectious diseases, a pandemic that has affected many countries around the world. It is a highly contagious disease that spreads like fire from human to human through small droplets from the mouth and nose. Currently, more than 300,000 people have succumbed to the deadly virus and there are around more than 4.5 million infections in the world and the number increasing though a strict lockdown of movement is in force in the majority of countries around the world!


Schematic representation of a coronavirus – this new virus probably looks a lot like this. From Biowiki(http://ruleof6ix.fieldofscience.com/2012/09/a-new-coronavirus-should-you-care.html)

Coronavirus gets its name from the Latin word; corona means a crown, a resemblance to the crown.

Thanks to the Federal Governments of many countries around the world for a quick measure of imposing a total lockdown and movement control immediately that has saved the virus from infecting the mass of population and the associated mortalities and fatalities to the common population. Indeed, it is a bold step by the prime minister of India in announcing the lockdown on March 21 and honouring the life of individuals, first though a voice of economic dangers heard from the mass, which is quite common in a democratic country. A densely populated country with a bare number of people respecting and abiding by the laws, a total shutdown and indeed the whole population accepting is widely appreciated and congratulated. All of you saved a lot of people from death!

Reflecting on the meaningful homily of the father, the bustling sounds, be it celebrations, mourning, political gatherings, prayer meetings, church services, pooja pravachans sound and the noise was overtaking the entire universe over the years. If Indian Railways has come to a total halt for more than one and half a month to date, the eighth wonder of the world then the tiny virus is capable!

The world did not have the patience or kindness to hear to the voiceless. Though everyone preached ‘silence is golden’, the preacher shouted the phrase louder. A time to reflect our self, our attitude and behaviour due to the attainment of some wealth, material, short-lived glory, positions and power further boosted the sound louder and louder. Our actions and worldly exhibitions, lack of time to others, even to our loved families, were they heard by this crown corona? Each of us pretended to be in a sense mesmerized or stating ‘no-time’ and the voiceless was neglected rather rejected. We ran behind for ‘more’, more wealth, luxury, competitions with neighbours and mostly forgetting the present and imagining a ‘tomorrow’. In a real sense, ‘tomorrow’ never comes into anyone’s life. While penning my thoughts, here, imagining tomorrow a lot of people read and indicate likes; but by the time I wake up tomorrow, in life again is it not today? Then where is the question of tomorrow? Have I not amassed wealth for a never seen never coming tomorrow, neglecting today the very needs of my voiceless kith and kin?

Everyone is now running for their lives and not chasing wealth during this pandemic. My busy work, no time sense for others in the bustling world is silently switched off by an unseen virus coronating its glory by torturing humankind. Weddings, parties and celebrations have come to a halt; looking forward to a big celebration, high-society invitation and lastly imagining and looking forward to a big crowd for my funeral, though I will be lifeless!

Pray that this pandemic will go away from this world and pray that scientists come out with a vaccine and medicine at the earliest to save humanity in the world. Silence is much powerful than the bursting sounds; Mother Teresa silently touched the life of the voiceless and became a saint in the modern era; Silence is Golden’. May Almighty God hear the prayers of the voiceless and bless a better world for all of us where there is love, affection and the voiceless will be heard!

 

 
By Dr Urban J A D’Souza, PhD, FRSB (London), Udyavar
Professor Urban J A D’Souza is a faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences at the University of Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia.
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Comment on this article

  • Alban D Souza, Udyavara, Mumbai.

    Mon, Jun 01 2020

    Congratulations ! Dr. Urban., A well written and good reflection on the subject. A simple way to understand. A bit of spirituality also there. As we all know the whole world is affected by this Virus. As the medical field, Police, personnel and Govt personnel working day and night for the safety of the people so also individual care like stay home Stay safe precautionary measures. What we can do also a major part to pray the Almighty God to cure and save us from this Virus. What is amazing that if go through the world history and Holy religious books God saved His people the world from the bondage of sin and calamities and made us free. Now also with faith we all pray pray and pray irrespective of all the religions. Surely God will save us from the Virus as God did in the Holy Bible and other holy religious books. Oh God be with us and bless us . We want your help. Without you we are nothing.

  • Dan M, Dubai / Mangalore

    Mon, May 25 2020

    Wonder drug artemisa or artemisinin from artemisia annua plant which won nobel prize in 2015 for malaria treatment which heaven also suggesting for malaria, Aids, hepatitis B and C, Ebola, might work wonderfully well for covid 19 also. Chinese / WHO may be having or knowing it but seems not letting others know (to push their vaccines / agenda ??). Madagascar already started marketing it. Our people also could do research on same.

    Ref: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52519853

    https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/madagascar-says-its-green-gold-is-go-to-cure-for-covid-19-experts-sceptical/story-sspw7cYw8bJmEaPQN1I17N.html

  • Frankin, Mangalore

    Sun, May 24 2020

    Hi Dr.D'Souza,
    Though I appreciate the content of the material,The English part of this write-up needs a lot of editing.
    thanks


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