How Corona Virus Must Change Our Behaviour
But not in the way you might think
I am 41, and I have never in my lifetime known anything like this. In the age of social media and technology, we are watching the Corona pandemic unfold minute by minute. It’s like a 24/7 horror movie.
The scariest thing for me is that my dad is over 70 and has a long-term lung condition. Exposure to the virus is extremely dangerous. The other terrifying part is that, where I live, there are no confirmed cases, but that can only mean that it is here and it’s undetected, or it’s on its way.
Stories of panic buying and irrational behaviour are rife, and we are, (according to the UK Government), nowhere near the peak of the pandemic. I realise that fear drives this response, but the majority of individuals who are behaving in this way, are not the most vulnerable. The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed this by stating that 96% of people who become infected will recover.
We Need to Change Our Focus
In the UK, 18% of the population is over 65, and these are the people that need our care and protection.
I saw a photograph of an almost empty supermarket and an elderly lady, who was obviously in her 80s, trying to do her shopping. There was an accompanying caption stating that the most vulnerable person in the store was unable to get what she needed.
This image struck a chord with me. It made me realise that it’s not those of us who are healthy and abundant that will suffer the most, by being told to work from home or not go to a concert or even on holiday, it’s the people who have the potential to lose their lives and livelihood.
We Need To Take Care Of The Vulnerable — We’ll Be Alright
An article in the Independent, also made me realise that apart from the elderly, there are others with long-term health conditions that are at risk.
The additional pressure that will fall upon our health service will be enormous. I won’t scare you with the details of the article, but it discusses the probability of health care professionals being diverted from other clinical areas, to handle the crisis. This reality could have enormous implications for the care of other in-need patients.
We also cannot forget those who depend upon food banks, who rely on 0 hours contracts or jobs in the service industry to provide for their families.
We all, therefore have a responsibility, and we must step up. Washing our hands and keeping clean is not enough.
What Do We Do?
It can be as easy as picking up the phone or knocking on a door.
We must ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society have what they need if they are going to self-isolate until it is safe. It’s possible, we all have older relatives that could be affected, or know of someone down the road that might be on their own, or a family who might struggle.
A phone call could save a life. A trip to a supermarket or pharmacy or even getting a little extra to give to others could provide a lifeline for those most in need.
We must come together as communities and support each other. We cannot adopt the attitude of every-man-for-himself, which seems to be evident in the awful videos of fights in supermarkets over toilet rolls!
I refuse to accept that we as a human race have stooped so low, and I am taking an optimistic stance that out of this devastation, we can help to save lives through small acts of kindness.
It is now our obligation, not only to protect our family and ourselves through this harrowing ordeal but to think of others, and how we might be able to help.
We have no idea how devasting this pandemic will be, but we can at least try to support each other.
Which calls do you need to make?
