cue evil laugh

In times such as these it is easy to get caught up in numbers. Exponential increases in things like virus infected people are really only supposed to be reserved for a bad movie starring Brad Pitt. On these occasions I always imagined I would be buried in science and I wouldn’t even notice the apocalypse. Turns out even my love affair with fact was to be threatened. I am exhausted.

Remember 3 months ago? When all we were concerned about was antivaxxers? Now we face a world without a vaccine and race toward one. I have several key thoughts and observations that have dawned on me while I sit, hair unkempt, at the computer:

1) People who are not qualified virologists suddenly are. Its amazing, it was the quickest set of degrees they have ever obtained. Somehow everyone mistakes their ability to use a search engine as the 4 degrees I have taken 10 years to obtain. This should not be confused with developing an interest in the subject. In fact, I hope the next 6 months opens the eyes of budding epidemiologists everywhere and we get a huge influx into STEM. This is more about impeding the dissemination of knowledge because you think you know better, Karen.

2) Don’t suggest to your co-workers that they turn their zoom camera on – you will see things you can’t unsee. In addition, is it just me or has the hadeda population decided it’s their time to shine the second you unmute yourself?

3) South Africa just recently introduced a set of laws to make the spreading of fake news a punishable offence. I have never been prouder to be a South African. Honestly, beats all the Rugby World Cup wins hands down.

4) I am busier than I’ve ever been with about 14000 applications, calls and papers to write and yet I miss the lab. Shortly, I will be back in there for COVID-19 research, and I know that I will miss my days of breakfast, second breakfasts, lunch, afternoon snacks etc. The grass is always greener on the other side of quarantine.

5) Tiger kings and tigers (also cats in general) can get COVID19.

6) Basically, all the reading I have done around the antibody work that I am about to start in COVID19 has not been peer reviewed. Does this concern me? Yes. Will I still read it? Yes. These are unprecedented times. In fact I think it’s kind of great that the science community is putting traditionally prestigious journals under a bit of pressure. Do I still want a nature paper? Yes.

7) The stream of science is hard not to enjoy. Many of us became scientists because of our curiosity and perhaps our inability to deal with social norms. But it is a thing of pure beauty to watch answers materialize where we had none before.

8) On a serious note, as South Africa enters its first extension of its lockdown, it is remarkable to me that people thought the government was legitimately going to ease the conditions now. Life as we know has changed. Travel will likely have to be put on hold until at least the end of the year. We will likely all be wearing masks in our daily lives. Until we get a therapy or a vaccine, we are held hostage by this virus. Countries who have eased their lockdowns too soon or were not strict enough, face huge ramifications. In a country that has many below the poverty line and many suffering with HIV and TB, we can’t afford to not lockdown. Of course there is always the terrible reality of our situation. Gender based violence is a staple in this country (hopefully the alcohol ban will curb some of this) but being trapped with your abuser must be some kind of hell. In addition businesses will collapse, unemployment will soar. These are all truly terrible but the alternative is really so much darker. Maybe we can bring the best out in each other. Donate to the solidarity fund if you can. Continue paying your employees if you can. Buy someone’s groceries if you can. Do what you can. Store your grain (or easter eggs) in your neighbours belly.

9) Isn’t it scary that we knew disease x would come from China and it would be a respiratory disease and wet markets were still allowed to proceed? How many other things do we know are inevitable? Climate change anyone? Maybe people should listen to scientists instead of an obnoxious man with an orange toupee. Ok, so hardly the I told you so we were hoping for.

10) This sucks and it is hard. It is ok to be unproductive and anxious.

Although I’ve ranted in this blog, I believe that people are at their core mostly good. I believe (and at times like these it is harder) but there are lots of things to laugh at and be happy about. For these things I direct you to John Krasinski’s latest effort to make us all smile SomeGoodNews – a youtube channel that tries to look for the good.

In the coming weeks I will do my bit for science communication and post some informative science going on to help us out, because let’s be honest – that’s all good news. This week, South African scientists reported the very first SARS-CoV-2 sequence from our country. This is extremely important, allowing us to see what the virus that causes COVID-19 looks like within our borders enabling us to track if and when the virus mutates. This might cause future therapies to become ineffective. The second vaccine trial has started in the US, following just 100 days since the COVID-19 disease was reported to the World Health Organization. Just to say this time frame is crazy. Vaccines take decades not months. But we had a good starting point – SARS and MERS (genetically similar coronaviruses) had already been studied in a fair amount of detail. We have done something we are used to in science; stood on the shoulders of giants.

Basically, we are stuck in this bad movie plot for a while. Settle in, grab some popcorn and be gentle with yourself and others. Also you don’t need to go to the shops 15 times a day, Karen.