Withstanding Covid-19: A philosophical standpoint (Part 2)

(Read the Part 1.)

Ten most powerful weapons to effectively manage the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are the following:

1. Preparedness

The first and the most powerful weapon to defeat the pandemic is preparedness. The more prepared we are, the more able we will become to defeat the crisis. Preparedness has the following five core dimensions:

Mental preparedness

We need to be mentally and logically prepared to face and defeat the pandemic. Once we are mentally prepared for the worst of the worst version of the pandemic, we can then make sound judgements as to what should be done and what should not, which ultimately enables us to manage all the needful effectively and efficiently on time.

Medical preparedness

After mental preparedness, we need to be medically prepared for the worst version of the pandemic. We need to be fully equipped with adequate ventilators, quarantine and isolation centres, personal protective equipment, hospitals, beds, doctors, nurses, paramedical staffs, medicines, and so on. Once we are medically prepared, we can then significantly minimise both the infection as well as the death rates. For example, the first instance of Covid-19 was traced in Singapore and South Korea much before it was traced in the USA and Europe. However, both these countries could manage to significantly control and contain the spread of infection and the ultimate death. This could be a very inspiring benchmark to the whole world including Nepal.

Logistic preparedness

We should be adequately prepared logistically too in order to face the Covid-19. Not just medical supplies, we need to manage a smooth supply of daily essential commodities and services too.

Structural preparedness

We should also be prepared structurally too in order to face the pandemic, which would imply that we need to have an instrumental pandemic management structure at the central, provincial, and local levels.

Physical preparedness

The physical preparedness implies that all the people should take care of the following seven suggestions in their lifestyle as outlined by the WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:

1. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or with an alcohol-based gel.
2. Need to cough or sneeze? Do it into a tissue or bent elbow, and then wash your hands.
3. Stay at least a metre away from other people, especially if they are coughing, sneezing, or have a fever.
4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
5. Avoid direct contact with live animals. If this is impossible, make sure to clean your hands afterwards.
6. Do not eat raw or poorly cooked animal products and wash your hands, clean surfaces and utensils afterwards.
7. If you develop a fever, cough or difficulty in breathing, seek medical care.
   2. Patience

After preparedness, the second most important weapon in our fight against the pandemic is patience. We should never be impatient even at the face of crisis as it only goes to deteriorate our capacity to act promptly, effectively, and in a balanced manner. Once we lose patience, we start falling prey to panicking syndrome, which is not good at all.

3. Calmness

Calmness is also one of the most powerful weapons in our fight against the pandemic. Being calm means avoiding being desperate and being able to consider the total and holistic picture and make sound judgements. Hence, calmness really helps in our fight.

4. Rational mind

A rational mind ensures that obvious common sense prevails, and we reach to the conclusions and make decisions based on logic rather than speculations and impulses. A rational mind is always a prerequisite for any good result to be derived and this is more so especially when we are facing some sorts of crisis. Hence, a rational mind is one of the most powerful weapons in our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

5. Positivity

A positive environment and a positive mind are of pivotal importance against our fight against the crisis as it helps us make considered, calculated, and proper decisions which are a must in such situations.

6. Hope

Hope is a catalyst of proper action. Once we become hopeless, we tend to feel so drained that we see darkness all around us. Hence, keeping up the hope and trust is a must in this battle.

7. Confidence

Confidence always plays a vital role for being successful in anything we do as it is the fundamental driver of perseverance, devotion, and determination, without which we can not become successful in managing anything. This is more so in case of major pandemics like this one.

8. Unity

We live in a society which is so interlinked, and interdepended. The Covid-19 spreads so easily from one person to another. Hence, all the stakeholders such as government mechanisms, political as well as nonpolitical institutions, business enterprises, as well as each citizen should make a united and singular endeavour for us to prevail over this deadly virus.

9. Collaboration

Collaboration with our friends and partners in the international community is crucial as this is the crisis which is of paramount concern to the whole world. This could help us gather the required knowledge, technology, tools, resources, and infrastructures in our fight against the Covid-19.

10. Solidarity

Finally, solidarity and international cooperation is also critically important as the outbreak caught the whole world unprepared. Hence, it is important that we foster a level of solidarity against the novel coronavirus which rises above the boundaries of nationalities, religions, ethnicities, economic status, and social status as it has been a really hard-learned lesson that the problem of coronavirus in one part of the world does not remain the problem of that part of the world alone. It may quickly spread into other parts of the world as well in no time.

We need to have ‘one world, one big family, one fight’ approach for the world to combat this virus which has completely disrupted the life of all of us, the whole of humankind.