In these already finished Christmas parties, we have all had someone around who, due to influenza A, covid or any other virus, has missed a meal. It has been the recurring theme of the festivities: the rampant reappearance of respiratory viruses. Even the Department of Health has declared the mask mandatory in health centers.
We have so ridiculed the value of the mask that bringing it back now seems vintage to us, like going back to elephant leg pants. Those times when, ridiculously, we were forced to enter a bar with a mask, take it off while eating and chatting with three people at the same time and then go outside to smoke and cover your mouth. I am annoyed by the obligation in the face of ridiculousness like the one expressed. On the other hand, it is surprising that, after what we suffered, the veto on healthcare facilities was lifted due to the cocktail of viruses that may be dancing in the corridors.
The feeling of having learned little from the coronavirus pandemic has led us to think that everything was over. Applauding the health workers at eight o’clock in the evening was more of a collective psychological action against the human panic we suffered than a thank you for their immense effort. And now we prefer to avoid vaccines to avoid facing everything we experienced again.
A couple of months ago I got vaccinated against flu and covid without having any need. A CAP doctor confessed to me that there are many people who decide not to get vaccinated because there is another one like us who does it for her. And I no longer have any disagreements with them, it’s just that they are two irreconcilable visions. Since the vaccine is not mandatory, it’s about time we leave each other alone, but just in case, I’m voluntarily getting vaccinated knowing I’m not harming anyone.
Panic is very delicate stuff and just as we try to forget it all at once, we see the emergency rooms collapse again and how one of our own has been run over by a bus this holiday season at the limit of bearable.
Now that everyone can do what they want, without strings or obligations, a mask in the bag and a vaccine on the arm are not bad recommendations, nor bad resolutions for this new year.
