Covid-19 casualties – a case of Eyes Wide Shut

 

From Dr Venugopal Balchand

I am heartbroken. Have been so for some time now. This is not an “I told you so” piece. No arrogance and certainly no malice. Just snippets from my previous articles with new notations and a postscript.

The writing on the wall is very clear. In bold letters. We just have to read them with our eyes wide open.

“Dead people don’t lie. From their heroic battles may we lesser mortals learn important lessons and act on them with urgency, fervour and precision so that these slain Covid-19 warriors may rest in peace knowing that eventually we WILL win this war.” – May 15, 2021.

A total of 7,019 dead as of July 18, 2021. No obvious lessons learnt as the number of dead are only rising.

“A green flatline and an awful, eerie high-pitched sound on the cardiac monitor with the ventilator still pumping. Two machines begging each other not to give up.” – May 18, 2021

Not seen in many of the deaths these days as patients are dying in hordes outside the ICU. In the emergency department waiting for a bed. In the ambulance before they reach the hospital.

“100 Malaysians dead in 3 days – it’s a Covid-19 war!” – May 15, 2021

Those were good days. Today, it’s often more than 100 deaths in a single day.

And what war? Only foot soldiers doing the best that they can. Sometimes they look like lambs being taken to a ceremonial slaughter. No generals in sight. No one barking loud, crisp, clear orders.

“Maybe the stench of rotting corpses will energise the nation.” – May 23, 2021

Corpses are rotting indeed. But thanks to generous donors, we now have mobile freezers to store them. Hence no stench and no signs of an energised nation.

“We behave like there is light at the end of the tunnel. But remember it could also be the headlamps of an oncoming train.” – May 28, 2021.

Half-baked SOPs. Half-hearted MCOs. No wonder we keep getting hit head on. One step forward, 10 steps backwards.

“We seem to have forgotten that at the very core, this is a medical emergency. It is not an economic crisis and certainly not a political one.” – May 28, 2021.

When a pandemic is allowed to proceed unchecked for 18 months, of course it will become an economic crisis. So many have lost jobs. So many breadwinners cannot afford to put food on the table these days. It’s all about aid. Nothing about growth. A pathetic economic state of a once proud Asian financial powerhouse.

“Finally, urgent mass vaccination is the only weapon we have currently to dramatically alter the course of this pandemic.” – May 28, 2021.

I have always called a spade a spade but have also been genuinely generous in giving credit where credit is due. Our vaccination story, with some teething problems, of course, has been truly inspirational. Congratulations and best wishes to the team. You are the only silver lining in clouds of impending thunderstorms and disastrous flooding threatening to wash away what little crumbling medical infrastructure that’s left in this country. You are our only hope and I, for one, am so proud of the heights you have scaled. Over 450,000 shots in a single day is amazing. Syabas.

“How difficult can it be to make the right decisions? Especially when you are not alone but supported by an armada of staff and infrastructure.” – May 8, 2021

“Harsh decisions need to be taken by bold people in tough situations” – May 8, 2021

Wishful thinking only, it seems. We have some incredible talent in this country. In many fields. Yet the decision-making has been mind-boggling, even stupefying at times. We went into a full MCO on June 1, 2021 when the total number of cases was less than 9,000 per day and the restrictions were eased on July 16 when the count was 12,541. Duh! Pandemic fatigue? Happy hypoxia?

I will be very honest. This article materialised because I was distraught after watching a devastating WhatsApp clip on a mass Muslim burial in Shah Alam. So many hearses in the early hours of the morning and it reminded me of what I had written on May 8, 2021:

“It is an absolute no brainer that unless we are truly serious about combating the virus, this beloved country will head the way of one of our beleaguered neighbours just four hours away by air. Mass cremations make for more gory and compelling viewing but mass burials are equally catastrophic and sad”.

In just 70 days, my worst fears have been realised. I guess I just have to wipe away my tears and offer prayers to the dead.

Postscript:
Singapore was once part of Malaysia.

Covid-19 scores:
Malaysia: Over 900,000 infected. Over 7,000 dead.
Singapore: Fewer than 65,000 infected. Fewer than 40 dead.

Yes. I know they are a much smaller country. “Eyes Wide Shut” was also a 1999 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise. Funnily, I don’t remember much of Tom Cruise. - FMT

Dr Venugopal Balchand is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.