Week 45 - the first of our two Stories comes from Pakistan

Edited BY

G P Kennedy

Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan

I am happy to say that vaccinations for a large proportion of health care workers especially those in the front line began.

There remains however an equally large number who continue to stay wary of potential side effects, wary of potential long-term effects, or wary of general levels of efficacy and not take them.

Vaccination of people aged 65 and above is expected to start by the middle of next month and people have been requested to register their names along with their Identity Card numbers in advance.

Pakistan still ranks abysmally low on lists of countries with the most number of tests done. It has carried out only 39,136 tests per million people.

The government has however wasted no time in relaxing some of the restrictions on commercial activities. The 50% attendance at work rule has been lifted, permission to hold indoor weddings has been granted, and cinemas are also set to open.

I feel this is a little rushed, to say the least. 

I attended a wedding of a friend's daughter last weekend and there were approximately 500 guests there.

The women were huddled in large groups and I was horrified to see very few were even wearing masks.

I have been particularly careful and have now resorted to wearing two masks as I believe that's the best-known way to protect yourself from the new variants. 

I was fortunate however to escape the daily humdrum of life by going off to Dubai for a short four-day trip.

This did require me to get three Covid tests done within a five-day span. The airline has made it compulsory to see a negative PCR test to board the flight.

Dubai Airport conducts its own test the minute you land at the airport. Despite having had the test done the day before to board the flight, we needed another test at the airport. 

And then I needed yet another test done a day before boarding my return flight.  Having traveled 6 months ago, this time around I knew exactly what to expect.

I barely sneeze or mind the discomfort anymore, and getting the PCR nose swab feels like second nature. I think I have had at least 8 tests done now! 

Procedures in Dubai were strictly followed and life there was pretty much normal. I felt safe and at ease.

It was difficult to get restaurant reservations as people continued with their lives. The UAE is one of the few countries in the world that, like Israel, have successfully vaccinated 50% or more of its population.

Of course, containing Covid in smaller countries like the UAE with a population of 10 million is incomparable to our 220 million population. 

I came across one taxi driver in Dubai who wasn't wearing a mask. When I asked him to put it on while I sat in the car he informed me he had been vaccinated.

I then had to educate him and let him know that he can still potentially be a carrier of the virus despite not showing any symptoms.

I think that education campaigns need to be run to make everyone understand that mask-wearing should remain the norm for years to come, and one doesn't become infallible even after taking the vaccine. 

Overall I had a great break and feel rejuvenated having had a change in environment.  I felt a sense of freedom and joy being able to do what I considered normal activities.

Now that I'm back in Karachi however, I will remain vigilant even as people continue to relax their guard.

The weather is warming up and the news somehow is a little more cheerful than what it once was, so I keep my fingers crossed.

Maybe this is my post-holiday euphoria but I hope I'm not wrong.