Year 2020 to forget and 2021 to foresee: Life has never been so hopeful as of now

 The year 2020 will not be forgotten, whatever you may try or how much you aim for. It will remind us of what one of the smallest organisms, inanimate on its own and animate when infected, can do to us. A virus, invisible to eyes, far small even for microscopic viewing, and decipherable with electron microscope, made our lives miserable within a year of its outbreak. This virus SARS Co-V2 (photo below) caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the infected humans belonged to coronavirus class has an inner core, a heritable genetic material, inside its proteinaceous cover with spikes, to attach to the host cell like those in nose or throat. Once attached and inserted into the host cell, this virus's genetic material also called RNA, which is made up of only 29,891 bases (as compared to human's 3 billion bases), multiplies and dominates over to spread infection and express symptoms like fever, body pain, throat dryness and cough, choking respiration and may be nervous system. If not checked, the person may die. Thus SARS Co-V2 caused disease called Covid-19 as it started in 2019 with pneumonia-like symptoms.

This Covid19 is very infective, as much as it has already affected more than 83.9 millions and caused more than 1.8 million deaths worldwide. It is pandemic, worldwide infection of humans. It may have originated from animals as reported, but certainly first reported in humans from Wuhan in China in late 2019. I have a fortune of visiting Wuhan in 2007 for the Annual meeting of the Society of Invertebrate Pathology. It is a beautiful city that I know. 

Twenty twenty grounded all economic activities except pharmaceutical, medical as well as internet industry. Farming had to be carried out as before; since empty stomach can not help fight war, in this case disease of pandemic proportion.

Physical distancing, facial mask and hygiene became a new norm of living in place of societal gathering, fashion displays and relative indifference to living styles including hygiene.

Work from home, and work for home became a way of living. Bored to the core, some fought with others, and some fought with themselves as this kind of living became depressive. Many lost everything that they had for living, some migrated in the hope of finding new lives, others perished in that hope. Some flourished with greed, making most of others' miseries.

There were glitters of hope, with some comforts in the help of generous people, generous institutions. Finding cure became necessity. And twenty twenty showed us resilience and intellect to fight over. Vaccine development succeeded as the year ended.

Twenty twentyone will see mass vaccination against Covid19 and hopefully that will protect us. It will also mean living in bravery in the background of some fears. Philanthropy may become more frequent than before, and social aloofness will take over physical distancing even if people are largely vaccinated.

Travel for pleasure but with caution, and travel only if needed may become more of norm than expected.

As the human activities pick up, so will economy. Those in need of job will get ones and those in job will get better. Economy must kick in to have more bucks in the pockets of people and realise the dream that nobody will remain hungry, without clothes, without roof-over-head and without education. 

Important in this year is health that I need to sustain rigorously and meticulously, without fear and indulgence. I need to implement my dream of travellling within and outside country, and find additional accomodation elsewhere.  

Jaan hai to Jahaan hai (If there is life, there is world to see and live in).

Photo credit: BBA Vol 1866 issue 10; 1st Oct 2020