Week 39 - Numbers spike in Pakistan but a family reunion can go ahead as planned

 Edited BY


G P Kennedy


Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan

 

 I woke up this morning to the news that 2 million people have died as a result of Coronavirus across the world. 

 

 As all the countries around the globe try and stock up on vaccines and figure out plans as to the quickest way of vaccinating its people, Pakistan sadly has not yet even ordered any vaccines for its 180 million citizens. 

 

 Apparently, they are still trying to decide on the efficacy of each vaccine before deciding which ones they will order. 

 

 Several friends in the UK have already had their elderly parents vaccinated or have been given dates as to when they will be. Just a hop, skip and jump away from Pakistan, in neighboring Dubai, most of my friends have already been vaccinated. 

 

 Although there is a glimmer of hope about vaccines now being available around the world, that hope is short-lived for us as right now we have no way of accessing it, nor any clarity as to when we may even get it.



Three days ago Pakistan recorded its highest number of Coronavirus-related death.


Even though statistically speaking Pakistan has fared better than many Western and regional countries, our data have been historically weak due to low testing.


From the start of the pandemic, Pakistan’s daily testing has been abysmally low. 

 

 Hospitals are teeming with Covid patients and there are literally no beds available for those who need it. 

 

 One of my closest friends in Karachi lost her father last week to Covid. She and her husband were driving from hospital to hospital with their father in the car, who had difficulty breathing, trying to find ANY hospital that would take him in.

 The mood seems grim. 

 

 Usually, I am an optimistic and upbeat person but unfortunately, this year has not had a very encouraging start. 




My saving grace however has been the arrival of both my children from their respective homes in North America.


Although there is not a lot of places we can take them to given the current situation, it is wonderful having them at home and we are enjoying the family time together. 

 

 I guess the fact that I have no in-person classes going on at the moment, hence a reduction in work commitments, and my husband is working largely from home, we are able to spend time together as a family.

 The weather here has been unusually cold and although the sun has been shining outside, our houses are like mini iceboxes. Houses here are built for the hot weather so we have huge windows, bare marble floors, and high ceilings. 




 We go out into our garden several times a day to warm ourselves up! My daily walk timings have also changed to try and get the most of the sun.


We even got our Shih Tzu Mario a little hoodie! It is funny seeing him find spots in the house where he can bask in the sunshine!

After 9 months of living with this pandemic, I find myself now getting more paranoid than usual. This past week I got myself tested twice for the virus.


Fortunately, I tested negative both times, but I did show symptoms of the virus so my suspicion was not without a cause. 



 One thing the pandemic has taught us for sure is to stop planning and start living in the present moment. The faster we get our head around that concept the better it will be for all of us.

 I wish you all a peaceful and a week ahead

 

 

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