Part 3: Bridge The Pandemic “Fear–Faith” Gap Series

• The Covid 19 narrative has been full of surprises since the beginning. Hardly are we halfway into vaccinating the majority, the fear of mutations and variants are now into play.
• Meanwhile, the whole world is jockeying to protect and prioritize its own citizen to the chagrin of third world countries. The socio-political-economic implications will soar and rage greater than the pandemic itself.
• Let us be strong and be proactive even as the narratives are still unfolding and the damages getting bigger by the day!

Surprise! Surprise!

No one expected 2020 to be alarming. But the Wuhan news triggered a tsunami of sad stories. Many thought “it is a virus – how potent could it get?” Also, “China is too far to affect us”. Then the new great wall went up with the flurry of hospitals construction and furious lockdowns! Ha, the virus is remarkably contained – this will be over in no time, three months tops!

It did not. We know now that 5 Million traveled out of Wuhan before the lockdown. The drama and the menace has not stopped since then. The origin of the virus that allegedly jumped to a human last Dec. 2019 – from the Wuhan lab or wet market – remains a puzzle up to now!

The World Health Organization’s newest report is inconclusive. To-date, they have not found a direct progenitor out of the thousands of animals in China that have been mapped! The genesis search is highly political so it is counter-intuitive to bet on that. Well, unless a bat or pangolin confesses to the crime!

Covid-19 has now killed 2.5 Million. The number is allegedly doubtful given that research indicates that only 17% died of Covid-19 without co-morbidities. But more people are dying! So with or without complications we still need to address the plague!

Progressive Disclosure…

The plot was unfolding like an action-packed movie! The scene emerged in a mysterious-sounding place Wuhan. A heroic Dr. Li Wenliang apparently observed the strange effects in his patients, shared it with his friends in SocMed, was censored by the Chinese government, and eventually died of the infection along with escalating casualties!

Then the Chinese government interventions erupted from lockdown of highways to news censorship. The hurried construction of hospitals became a spectacle, the world mesmerized by how a socialist country contained a pandemic but equally puzzled by what exactly was happening!

Face masks was not even in the conversation then and so was social distancing. But after the escalation of worldwide infection, government and institutions grabbed desperately whatever non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) they could put their hands on.

And Tightening Rules!

Eventually, even face shields were required and double face masks toyed with. By then, all the plastic and glass walls in establishments went up to further shield face-to-face interactions. Small shops closed and big businesses staggered.

Supply chain bumped into a historical shock together with the glutting of oil supply that sent crude oil price to the negative region! Work From Home (WFH) finally became mainstream – an idea longed dreamed of by those pushing for more work-life balance.

Mid-way through the year, citizens started to feel the brunt of the pandemic with the escalation of Covid fatigue and economic losses. The surge of infections due to inept strategies of government task-forces were now regular target of citizens’ ire!

Few countries like Taiwan, New Zealand, Iceland and Israel escaped the noose given their aggressiveness in testing, prevention, and communication. They are now enjoying freer societies and less infection rates while the rest are still squabbling on the best strategy to implement!

Mutations and Annual Migration

While hardly the rest have been vaccinated, the next story is the threat of mutations and subsequent emergence of more potent variants and strains! Doctors have always known that viruses, like the influenza, regularly mutate and travel globally. That is why pharmaceuticals are profiting from it (no pun intended) on a yearly basis.

So now, without even reaching the vaccine-induced herd immunity, we are primed to brace for future vaccine updates! Sounds like a software that needs to be reconfigured and periodically budgeted! And let us not make a mistake on the supposed benevolence of government. All that is being insanely spent on the pandemic will eventually poke its ugly head in terms of at least tax or inflation!

The Emerging Threats

WHO has declared that the virus will be with us for a long time. As such, governments are encouraged to invest in long-term planning to prepare and create a more resilient “New Future.”

Meanwhile, the need to reach herd-immunity will agitate nations spurred by the increasing fear and discontent of every citizen. Expect more angry voices from all levels and sectors. Government will need to be more adapted to crises, adeptly coordinated, synchronized with civil society, evidence-driven policy formulating, transparent with the public, and continuously learning!

Sans rigging, elections will be won based on perception on how balanced and competent the pandemic and economy are handled. Social media will grow, more emboldened, and trend-driven possibly exacerbating the fears and anger of everyone. “Cambridge Analytica” (or the use of citizen’s data points to understand and sway their sentiments) will continue to be employed in politics and economic activities especially by the big technology-driven players.

Issues such as Universal Basic Income, Vaccine Passports, Businesses Reboot, Singularity, and New World Order will be front-and-center in all policy discussions. Inequalities will widen further not just in the vaccination drive, but in many areas impacted by the pandemic. Due to the virus economic impact, failed states – most likely in third world countries – will increase and we might witness more “Arab Springs” even in nations without deserts!

The Catalyst…

Covid-19 is the instigator in these New Normal and New Future emerging narratives. Unfortunately, we are not even half-way through the story. While the vaccines have emerged, reaching worldwide herd-immunity is couple of years away. This is complicated further by mutations that will result to never-ending tussle between the virus and the vaccines.

The pandemic accelerated the need of government to adopt new operating models. Technology adaptation fast-tracked and everyone rushed from businessmen to politicians to harness its long untapped power for competitiveness, surveillance, and remote management capabilities. Massive changes will result to more social upheaval not just on jobs displacement but on the fundamental rights to live freely with your own ways and thoughts.

Band wagons will have a parade and will end up clashing that may result into unimaginable societal conflicts and divisions. Group think will reach fever pitch even as catalyzing smart phone technology will be packed with more powers and apps!

And Concluding Thoughts

We need to watch the accelerating socio-economic-political impact. We now see increasing economic losses in trillions of dollars, protectionism and vaccine politics escalating, wealth disparity expanding, and global anxieties surging! The dynamics are fast morphing and it is becoming harder by the day to make sense if the situation worsens or not.

To some degree, the future appears headed to “everyone to his own“! Chaos will increase until the convulsion of the pandemic simmers with new realities and norms. We hope none of the trying prognoses will happen despite the foretaste. But admit it or not, cognitively dissonant or not, the next 1-2 years is still highly volatile!

Indeed an ant will gather its food in summer and a prudent man will avoid trouble when he sees one coming. So let us all be objective, proactive… and strong!

(Note: So how do we improve our resilience? Part 4 of this Bridge The “Fear-to-Faith” Gap Series will tackle the issue)