An extraordinary journey to....our HOMES

---

“Confusion is to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.”- Isaac Newton

If one likens Covid-19 to a large roulette wheel spinning in a casino and randomly stopping every now and then to deliver a new number with a sinister message, it is certainly delivering just that. A pandemic which kicked off in February 2020, continues to spin out of control and shows little heed for many of the efforts being frantically thrown at it by seriously confused humans across the globe.

A quick global check reveals interesting scenarios. In England, PM Boris Johnson is desperate to announce to the Poms that Covid-19 has been defeated and life can return to normal. His target date for this massive announcement is 19^th July. Will it happen? Watching Wimbledon over the past two weeks and the Euro Cup Final at Wembley, there was a clear message that the virus is off the radar screen. Stadia packed to capacity and very few masks in sight. In America there is a definite “life returns to normal” mantra playing out with huge increases in the numbers of people flying around the country and the economy in a semi-boom state. At the same time, the Delta variant has caused a new spike in infections in New York but little attention or urgency is being assigned to this emerging threat. Large numbers of folk in some ultra conservative states in the country have refused vaccinations and it is interesting that the highest infection rates are to be found there. South West Missouri, by way of example, has the highest outbreak across the country largely because of vaccine scepticism. However, the over-riding message right now shared by huge numbers of Americans though is, “let’s get back to normal.” Will this be short lived? South East Asia is seeing a wave of rising infections and the one being particularly badly hit is Japan. Spare a thought for the Japanese, desperate to host the Olympic Games and at the minimum recover some of the massive investment they have poured into this event. The Delta variant has arrived there and potentially put this major sporting event under a cloud of uncertainty. The dilemma are the 78,000 worldwide participants expected to arrive in Tokyo and thus heralding a potential super-spreader event. Bizarrely one of their main concerns in the planning phases for the Olympics was condoms as they grappled with virus control rules such as no socializing and dining together. Can’t rule out what happens down the passage when the lights go off, so the plan was to distribute 150,000 condoms during the games. Not sure how many meetings it took but this plan has been pulled in favour of distributing them when athletes leave Japan as a souvenir. So, if you don’t win a medal, you’ve got a condom! This thinking pattern also covers alcohol where the rule will be no alcohol in restaurants but flowing freely in the Athlete’s Villages. Compounding the problem for Japan is that only 15 percent of their population has been vaccinated. What will 78,000 visitors from across the globe mean for the infection rate of the local population? Throw in spectators and hordes of media people and it all portends to be a series of signs, none of them good. The games kick off on 23^rd July. Inevitably there is always a “rogue” in the gallery of countries and a unanimous qualifier for this lofty title is non other than North Korea. Anyone know where this miserable country is? Anyone care? Kim Jong Un has declared that his country faces a “great crisis” over a single quarantine breach. No further details from this secretive country except this same “leader” has lost a good few pounds in weight and told his political party buddies that the food supply situation was deteriorating fast. Ever heard of a fat cat politician leading by example by eating less and sending a message to his people that the grub is running out? Covid-19 would add hugely to their woes as their health care system is archaic and likely no vaccines available. They were due a shipment of vaccines but Kim and his inner coterie decided they would not pay heed to WHO regulations so the shipment was delayed. Equally bizarre in this region of the globe is the anti-vaccine propaganda spread on social media by US “warriors.” As a consequence, people from Thailand to the Philippines are increasingly reluctant to be vaccinated despite many thousands of new infections occurring daily. There is a fight back by governments and companies with Facebook and Twitter taking down false claims. Some countries have even resorted to raffling cows and chickens to encourage the taking of Covid-19 shots. As of today, 13^th July 2021, 3.11 billion vaccines have been administered globally which represents about 21 percent of the global population. The problem is that most developing countries are way behind the vaccination curve with Thailand having only administered vaccines to 15 percent of their population. Contrast this with England and America with roughly 90 percent plus of their respective populations vaccinated.

The other bullet which is very difficult to dodge right now is the surging Delta variant. The original vaccine trials on the two RNA versions (Pfizer and Moderna) have been proven to be around 94 percent effective and prevent those vaccinated from the worst symptoms. Numerous studies done in more advanced countries provide irrefutable evidence that vaccinations are highly effective and reduce infection rates drastically with much milder symptoms for those who do contract the virus. The key question being posed is; how well will vaccines fare against the delta variant? After all, it is highly contagious and popping up in many countries globally. The news is largely positive and the key vaccines appear to be fairly effective against this variant. All well and good but what of future variants and current vaccine effectiveness? The scary reality is that the greater the number of unvaccinated people, the greater the risk of incubating new contagious forms of the virus. That puts most developing countries firmly in the cross hairs, South Africa included! Another swirling question is the possibility of catching Covid-19 again after a prior infection. The basic premise is that when one contracts a virus, the body fights back by producing antibodies or proteins that attack the virus and fight off infection. This worked efficiently in fighting off the original Beta Variant but these antibodies seem to be less effective in warding off delta variant infections. In a nutshell there is a view that the world has missed its chance to eliminate the Covid-19 virus partly due to the slow distribution and administration of vaccines and it will be with us for many years and with regular, ongoing vaccinations, cases would become fewer and milder. Scary! No clear end in sight.

South Africa finds itself in a particularly vulnerable position because of the woeful manner in which vaccines were procured and managed. It is hard to understand how we, as the leading country on the African continent, currently lag many others in the vaccine roll out process. To date roughly 4 million people have been vaccinated which represents about 5 percent of the population. This is catastrophic in the face of the current third wave given that vaccinating the majority of the population in any country is the only effective way of containing the virus. What happened is so typical of the gross mismanagement one sees at just about every level of government. The procurement process was bungled, timing opportunities lost due to no coherent strategy being in place. It borders on treason but there will be no consequences other than the impact of a rampaging virus, wide spread infections and illness and sharp increases in people dying. All of which are in evidence currently. The only flickering light of hope is the fact that the private sector has now stepped in and impacting positively on the rate at which vaccinations are being administered daily.

As I write this blog, South Africa has descended into a level of chaos not seen in any country globally for many years. It is sickening, distressing and disheartening to witness the daily orgy of violence, looting and destruction of property and businesses in Natal and Gauteng. There will be many, both here and abroad, trying to make sense of people destroying their own country and future. Simple answer, there is no logical sense! The economic consequences will be catastrophic and any foreign investors who had given thought to investing here, will seriously reconsider their options. Numerous political commentators and talking air heads have sprouted forth their theories on TV behind this anarchy. In my humble view the incarceration of Zuma provided the convenient spark and against a background, over many years, of rampant theft and corruption with no consequence for ANC political leaders and cadres, the brooding masses seized their opportunity to follow suit and loot and plunder. It is also very obvious that the looters are not those mostly “desperate and poor” as evidenced by vehicles lining up to fill with stolen items. The looters will have noticed the ineffectiveness of our police force so there was little deterrent there. I shudder to think what the financial implications will be for the insurance, financial and property sectors. This will destroy thousands of jobs in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. As I write this final paragraph, the carnage and destruction continue, people are being killed and ordinary citizens are mobilising to try and protect their businesses and properties due to the inability of security agencies to do their job. And if anyone doubted it before, we have a President and government woefully incapable of running a country. We are in deep, deep trouble as the clouds of a severe winter storm race across South Africa.

“Our government …..teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.”- Louis D. Brandels

---

Photos

Covid-19
Our unique bright spark! What a legacy!

Covid-19
Too depressing! This scene being played out across mulitple shopping centres.

Covid-19
Have we unwittingly re-written the book "How to destroy a country in the shortest possible time?

Comments

[One Way Cab]

One Way Cab From Udaipur
I really happy found this website eventually. Really informative and inoperative, Thanks for the post and effort! Please keep sharing more such blog. Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thanks For Sharing It. One Way Cab From Udaipur

[Timgray]

Covid-19
Thank you for your message.