When COVID-19 becomes personal
OVER the last 18 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a big issue in all communities and countries across the globe. Some had more infections than others or worse still more deaths than others.
But to the majority in the developing world, the pandemic was still very less personal than what is being experienced in this third wave.
In Africa, mass burials were only experienced on cable television as we saw coffins being thrown into trenches in New York, the United States, during the peak of their last winter.
Then President Donald Trump more often than not was portrayed as the man who caused the calamity by his lack of proactive approach to vaccination.
Trump’s reluctance to expedite vaccination, among other reasons, caused his election defeat, leading to Joe Biden being inaugurated as President in January this year as the man to mop up the Republicans’ mess.
It is an American joke that Republicans mess up and Democrats mop up — an illustrative example being the Bushes — Senior and Junior — who were both succeeded by Democrats.
Zimbabwe largely came out unscathed in the first wave, making many believe COVID-19 was a conspiracy or media phantom.
From March 2020 to March 2021, the country had less than 2 000 deaths.
Many had not experienced a personal relationship with those who suffered a death in the family.
Many in cities and rural areas were sceptical that the pandemic was real.
Government also sat on its laurels and did very little to educate the general citizenry about the pandemic.
Very little information was available to the public about the vaccination, leading many to fall for the anti-vax messages.
The last two weeks have changed my view about the pandemic. I have had two of my siblings come back with COVID-19 results in that period.
We have as a family lived with trepidation, but knowing it was out of our control.
We would call each other, trying to pep those infected and wish them all the luck they needed to get over the infection.
It was also during the same period when my former boss, Alpha Media Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube, lost both his parents and a niece to COVID-19.
Losing parents is a hard thing no matter what age you are. It is a moment you feel vulnerable and leaves you scarred.
And it is unfortunate, many cannot pass their condolences in person during this lockdown.
The trauma leaves both close members and friends distraught because in normal times, we celebrate deaths and keep company of relatives of the deceased in our tradition.
It is also during the same period that former Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni, his wife and house help were infected with the virus.
I had grown to talk to Manyenyeni at a personal level even after he had left public office in 2018.
COVID-19 is no longer a public issue to me, it has become personal because it is messing up my personal relationships.
However, there are a few things government has not changed in the past 18 months in its approach to the pandemic.
Government has been big on promises. Finance minister Mthuli Ncube since last year promised that US$100 million had been set aside for the procurement of vaccines.
The procurement has been opaque at best and non-existent at worst.
Zimbabwe, according to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, wants to have 60% of the adult population vaccinated.
Some noble objective, but it lacks a timeframe, it is still unclear today as it was the first time it was announced.
In other words, it’s a political statement rather than a real, pragmatic programme being pursued.
Vaccination has proven to be the first line of defence. Masking up, social distancing and washing hands frequently may help, but human beings are naturally social beings and hence vaccination is the next best thing for protection.
Available research so far shows that those vaccinated have a better chance to survive an infection without hospitalisation.
It is in this line of thinking that the Mnangagwa administration should, starting now, show a credible, pragmatic and time-framed vaccination programme.
A programme that shows when we can reach the 10 million thresholds for herd immunity.
In other words, by when can the country have acquired 20 million doses of vaccines and properly use them?
Attaining herd immunity is imperative in getting life back to normal or near normal.
The United States, United Kingdom, Israel and France have shown that reopening the country and getting back to normal is possible.
The just-ended Euro 2020 soccer championships were a prelude to what a successful vaccination programme can do.
It is also important to have a clear vaccination programme depending on vulnerabilities. The elderly and those with co-morbidities should be vaccinated first.
The healthy and young should be last, but the free-for-all attitude in this country will definitely lead to many deaths that can be avoided.
Last but not least, this is the opportunity for Ncube to use the much-talked about budget surplus to cushion the poor and vulnerable through cash transfers, food stamps and probably free medical facilities as many families have no stable incomes during the lockdowns.
The pandemic has become personal and the citizens start demanding personal answers.
Let the people’s government be clear on what it can do and when or else the looming grey horizon of anger would be uncontainable as recent events in South Africa have proven.
When death is staring all, senses take leave and survival becomes the only thing.