After I processed some tasks in the office and outside at the end of the workday, I felt something weird was catching my throat; I ignored it, thinking it was ordinary, and went ahead. The day after, I woke up with pains in my whole body and realized that I had been infected with COVID-19 or something else. Whatever it was, the contagion was proved by the Antigen Test I bought from the pharmacy and then by a formal test at the clinic. The infection has assumedly resulted in constant movements of refugees in and out of the camp where I work. The ridiculous thing is that I didn't get infected earlier despite having been through all of the episodes of the Corona crisis; I mainly lived in Bangkok at the beginning of 2020, neighboring China, where the virus originated. Therefore, Thailand and adjacent areas of Southeast Asia were entirely conducive to the prevalence of the virus due to its proximity to China.
I'm currently under quarantine. The symptoms were not chronic; they were just in the first three days. Pains in the entire body, anorexia, coughing, runny nose, and the senses of smell, hearing, and taste were also affected. However, there was no respiratory distress. But thank God the immune system is robust as I got the two doses of the Pfizer-Biotech vaccine last year. In quarantine, I spend my time following up on developments in Germany and the international arena, reading the news, and analyzing the current Ukraine-Russian crisis on different platforms. There is also ongoing preparation for learning the fourth and fifth languages, the linguistic accomplishment I've dreamed of for a long time, the goal I set up last year, which will take place in 2022. Even though learning foreign languages is a daunting task, it's a sturdy intellectual method that helps overcome boredom and loneliness. If we direct it correctly, it often keeps our minds entangled with positive things. Correspondingly, the optimal tip to avoid depressive moments or emotional drain during quarantine, in case you're alone, is to speak to a family member or a loved one.
The quarantine, for me, is like a reminiscence of the beginning of this crisis up till now. Through it, I could recall the occurrences I have gone through thus far regarding the restrictions, lockdowns, wearing masks, social distancing, etc. It's been a realm of fluctuating tides since the COVID-19 crisis broke out at the beginning of 2020; WHO declared it a global pandemic shortly afterward. This year, I was in Bangkok at Chulalongkorn University, studying for an exchange semester, the third semester of the latest Master's program I finished last year at the University of Albert-Ludwigs Freiburg in Global Studies. I remember how the entire situation turned upside down, thinking it was the world's end, like an apocalypse!
While seeing how panic was widespread among people, becoming nervous, anxious about potential infection, and losing trust in physical human communication, the panic also outstretched to the surrounding space, believing that the virus was floating over and sticky never dies out. The entire educational system has turned into virtuality since the first episode of the crisis, remaining as such up to the present day to avoid social contact that exposes people to infection. Therefore, I used to work at home to manage my academic tasks for the university, including the online language tutorial sessions I offered international students on a global platform. The virtual platform has been solidarity and affection throughout the crisis; I sometimes felt alone, but I overcame this by speaking to my students and sharing our experiences during the pandemic. Indeed, it was a source of strength, encouragement, and hope for them and me until I finished my second post-graduate degree. The program ended, but I still strictly hold on to the stunning memories I spent in that diverse international academic environment that began in Freiburg in 2019, passing through Cape Town -where I did the second semester at Uni UCT- to Bangkok and back to Freiburg. Memories are the source of impetus that pushes me forward.
The manifestations of the lockdown that paralyzed cosmopolitan Bangkok were obvious; few commuters went down the almost empty streets. The transportation sector changed to fit into the new situation, including the domestic and international aviation movement, which was significantly hindered. For this reason, two flight tickets I had booked from Bangkok to Frankfurt were canceled, and then painstakingly managed to travel back to Germany as the third flight worked out. Thus, I wished to hear the usual honking, voices of engines, and callers in the streets; even the number of vendors significantly downsized, turning it into a city of ghosts, mixed with anxiety and distrust of the future. In addition, the stark confusion covered the scene, too, as many people didn't have enough awareness of how to move on with the new reality—the unprecedented procedures imposed on people to restrain the prevalence of the fatal virus changed this reality. Yes, there was no blame at that phase of the pandemic as it was an unexpected dilemma on the way, and people were not willing to go through such a sudden reality and were not trained to deal with its outcomes.
The scene outside of Bangkok was like a physically isolated space from all angles, narrowing around me and shackling me up tightly to the degree that I felt suffocated due to the restrictions mentioned above; it was not different in other countries worldwide that have followed suit. At the time, the future of the crisis seemed unpredictable; people never knew what would occur, what the next stride would look like, and how to resolve this crisis and tackle its implications that threatened all sectors of life, including fundamentally human lives, in general. Since the death toll skyrocketed, many businesses lost their value and went bankrupt, resulting in crumbling economies.
Different aspects in the international arena, mainly pharmaceutical companies, from Moscow to Washington and their allies, headed on to think of a radical solution, the vaccine. But, the vaccine turned into a political competition among those great powers. Of course, the German contribution has remarkably competed to produce the most reliable and effective vaccine. There was long fierce competition until some ground-breaking pharmaceutical companies, especially the German ones, manufactured the first-hand vaccine Pfizer-Biotech. Then, the conflict of vaccines continued due to the producers' promises to end the pandemic with the promised vaccine from whatever side until the beginning of 2021. Different vaccines found their way to consumers as millions of doses were handed out. Still, as people collided with the governments or pharmaceutical companies' promises to end the crisis on many occasions but without avail, skepticism towards the reliability of the vaccine emerged.
Furthermore, this skepticism was enhanced when some people were said to have been found dead after taking the vaccine. In the meantime, campaigns urging people to get the vaccine carried on, presenting scientific shreds of evidence that the vaccine is the only scientific way to fight COVID-19. In contrast, many people continued to accuse these procedures of a mere attempt to mitigate their resentment and frustration with the lockdown and other strict rules, especially since the increasing death toll has reached 5.86 million worldwide thus far. Another critical point is that many countries have declared emergencies during the crisis, stating that the health system was on the brink of deterioration or mainly deteriorating. We still remember the catastrophic implications in Italy, Spain, and many other developing countries, especially India, that were declared red areas.
Governments worldwide decided to build an invincible fortress of the health system by following scientists' recommendations. However, some aspects showed an intransigence policy and rejected any arguments from the scientists. Consequently, the battle against COVID-19 agitated and hasn't just ended at this point. Later on, the world woke up to suddenly encounter a new setback, the so-called new mutants "Alpha, Beta, and Delta" that the biologists described as fatal and with more severe effects than COVID-19. Frustration resurged, and the hope of the prospective defeat in the battle against COVID-19 somewhat faded away despite the claim that the strenuous efforts to end the crisis were still viable. People got used to the reality that the pandemic cycle didn't end shortly and left the matter interwoven with predictions shaped by either the pharmaceutical companies or the governments on the one hand and the specific media sources on the other.
Due to the prolonged restrictions and uncertainty, tens of thousands of people have protested against Corona measures in many countries worldwide. Hence, forecasts on the crisis scenarios, either going to more aggravation or alleviation with the mandatory procedures of wearing masks and social distancing, including the cinemas, concert houses, theatres, nightclubs, and festivals shut down, remain undecided in many countries. However, like Denmark, some countries have declared a coexistence policy with COVID-19, releasing their people from the restrictions.
Afterward, the vaccine campaigns have been a big booster, as the statistics elaborated on the immense numbers of people who have been vaccinated, to the degree local campaigns put up signs in public places inviting people to come over to get the required doses without a prior appointment. The slogan of these massive campaigns is that the vaccine is the only scientific way to build an insurmountable immune system. Meanwhile, it didn't condone the fact that doesn't mean that the vaccinated people aren't prone to infection by any virus COVID-19 or the variants, and later on, the world woke up again to shockingly hear the news that scientists discovered a new variant called "Omicron." As a result, the belief that a sustainable solution for the current crisis won't be within reach in the foreseeable future. Frustration dominated the scene again, and people kept wondering about the end and whether the vaccine and the scientists were reliable saviors for people. And, of course, I can't condone the psychological effects of the stressful circumstances, like anxiety, depression, and distrust in the surrounding reality, resulting from the clashing opinions revolving around the end of the crisis, etc. To put it differently, the still widespread belief in the potentiality of reproducing a new variant somewhere in the world is substantial!
Going through these episodes over the past two years made me eager and passionate to keep up with the local campaigns. I sincerely hope the crisis will end because there is always hope for us there. I finally call on you to follow the scientists' tips and get the vaccine immediately. My recent experience with the coronavirus is self-evident, and the vaccine is the right thing to do because it effectively protects our immune system.
Stay healthy!
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