My doctor’s perfect advice versus COVID-19

By Al S. Mendoza

 

MAN is the hardest to understand.

Even God acknowledges this.

Did He not call Adam to explain why Eve ate the forbidden fruit?

Well, there’s a more profound justification for the summons.

God that He already is, He still adheres to the rule of law.

By asking Adam about a canon being breached at the Garden of Eden, God was, in effect, observing due process of law.

Only after hearing Adam’s side did God issue His verdict: Banish the couple out of Paradise.

No investigation, no right to speak, no right to pass judgment.

A trial can commence only after all sides are taken.

A verdict can be handed down only after a trial.

Even God can be that basic.

Why not us, too, mere mortals?

Because, if God can be that obedient to law, what more to us non-immortals?

Which brings me back to the issue at hand: Man is so complex that he can make simple matters complicated in a wink of an eye.

Take the case of the vaccine against COVID-19.

When the vaccine was far from being discovered, we were virtually deathly worried about the virus.

Unseen and practically undetected, it can hit us without warning.

We keep asking: Will the virus wipe out mankind before the vaccine’s discovery?

Prophets of doom have never ceased looking at the dark side of life.

The suspense is killing Juan, Pedro and Kulaspiro.

Will the cure ever come?

Then, in a snap, the vaccine has arrived. Finally.

Was it met with lusty cheers?

At the start, yes.

But after the initial euphoria came the cynics.

Doubters as to its efficacy would multiply overnight like flies invading garbage.

Hysteria even rented the air, triggered mostly by all kinds of social media thingamajig.

It is safe, said the vaccine makers.  Of course!

It is not that safe, said the pessimists.  Umm.

It is wise to wait and see, said the fence-sitters.  Uh-oh.

Sure, some of the first batch of vaccine recipients experienced side effects.  Allergies.  Headaches.  Fevers. Etc.

The internet had a feast day churning out fake news.

Some simply enjoy spreading falsehoods.  Just for kicks. Whatever.  Weird.

Then came a report about 29 Pfizer-vaccinated elderlies from Norway dying.

“Not true,” said Pfizer, explaining that there could be other reasons for the deaths.

The vaccines now available have different efficacy rates, adding to fears gripping those faint of heart.

Over here, some 47 percent surveyed by an independent entity refused to be inoculated.

That’s quite high.  But I am not surprised.

My own neighbor, a retired female nurse, refused to be vaccinated.

“I am healthy,” she said.  “I observe all health protocols.   That’s my best defense against the virus.”

But my other neighbor, a doctor-internist, recommends vaccination.

“Since it fights the virus, we should have it,” he said.  “It will not be rolled out if it will not do us good.”

I believe him.

“Alcohol is also an effective virus fighter,” he said.

I believe him, too.

He’s been a “glass mate” of mine for the longest time.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments