The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, seems to be taking aim directly at authoritarian leaders such as Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro for their bungling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"My friends, make no mistake: The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself. Rather, it's the lack of leadership and solidarity at the global and national levels."
"This is a tragedy that is forcing us to miss many of our friends, losing many lives. We cannot defeat this pandemic as a divided world," Tedros said, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"How is it difficult for humans to unite to fight a common enemy that's killing people indiscriminately?" Tedros asked during his plea, made during a WHO meeting. "Are we unable to distinguish or identify the common enemy? Can't we understand that the divisions or the cracks between us actually are the advantage for the virus?"
4 comments:
Take a gander at this, Mound. It seems many Americans are feverishly opposed to receiving a vaccine when/if it becomes available.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-theres-a-vaccine-on-the-way-let-the-persuasion-begin/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=Referrer%3A+Social+Network+%2F+Media&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links&fbclid=IwAR0F6QXn5WWwVK_Rz3DQV-K65Sx-YiYCo7MMXKEdgMN3LuOqrMazvMDAvrE
Well, Lorne, perhaps time has run out for our species sooner than we ever imagined. There are stories everywhere today about a Chinese report of a lethal pneumonia virus in Kazakhstan that is far deadlier than Covid-19. That has health authorities around the world scrambling to find out if there's anything to the Chinese claims.
Most people are too willing to cut our leaders an undeserved amount of slack but it's always on the assumption that, 1), no one really knew, and, 2), Covid-19 is a "one and done" problem after which we'll all lapse back into safety and comfort.
Over the past couple of weeks I've been questioning those assumptions. What if, as some scientists suggest, Covid-19 is just the first in a series of pandemics that are already in the barrel, locked and loaded? How seriously has Covid-19 drained our resilience to meet another similar or worse contagion in the next few years? How short of introducing confiscatory taxes on accumulated wealth, the top 10% bracket, could any government muster the resources to fight another viral battle? I can't imagine we'll see Trudeau or Morneau championing that idea.
The lockdown/quarantine/handwashing/masks and gloves regimen worked when given a chance but all that effort, all that investment and sacrifice, was squandered when restrictions were prematurely lifted. We just can't keep repeating that effort. We don't have the resources. Even the non-monetary consequences are almost more than society can bear. Perhaps we will just have to accept something akin to Black Death mortality rates - 40 or 50 per cent - as a societal 'cost of doing business.' I don't know but I certainly don't feel optimistic.
I'm watching to see how Covid-19 plays out in India. Modi's government only reports hospital data but we know the healthcare system is overwhelmed and the impoverished majority of the Indian population are vulnerable and often die at home.
As for the idiots who reject vaccines I think we're going to have to find a means of expulsion from the rest of us. Perhaps they should be consigned to their own communities of like-minded individuals, call them what you like - plague towns. I don't care about the adults but I think they're demonstrably unfit to be parents if they choose to put their children at such risk.
6500 died from the common flu in Canada in 2018. Only 6700 deaths from Covid here and that's with everything they do to inflate the numbers.
Did you know if a 20 year has Covid and no symptoms then gets hit by a truck his death goes down as Covid. Neat eh?
A 90 year old fighting a deadly cancer for years and catches covid yet dies from the cancer? You guessed it, another covid death!
Run for the hills we're all going to die!
Well, Anon, I suppose I should point out the obvious - the pandemic is just getting started so your statistical argument is frivolous. You do know what sophistry is? As for the 20 year old in the truck accident I'll assume you got that from social media. As for the example of the 90 year old cancer patient. Do send me your body of evidence. I'll be waiting.
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