Well! Well! So there is no stopping. The Olympic spirit! The Olympic Torch bearer has taken off and we do not know how many others he will hand it to before it reaches the site of this year’s international games. I am sure the hearts of sports lovers in Tokyo, and even their ordinary citizens must have been palpitating over the possibility that it may not take place. We all know how threatened the world is by this COVID that has still not showed any sign of going away.
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But if the Torch runners have started trekking along the Olympic route, everybody whether athletes or mere onlookers can entertain hopes that the games will go on. The problem, to my mind, is whether there will be a full complement of participants, as some countries, and especially parents of athletes, may be hesitating to send off their loved ones to be in contact with other nationalities where the COVID has been raging. So let us all join them in praying that this pandemic has been conquered by the time the games are set.
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I believe, though, that athletes and officials of the international competitions are still preparing with their usual enthusiasm because, who knows? With the ongoing supplies of vaccines, and their efficacy, COVID may join the list of once killer ailments that mankind had vanquished through the development of vaccines. Let us all pray for those working on that so we can count on a future that no longer has to deal with this latecomer of a virus, that has proven itself so deadly.
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Speaking of vaccines, sounds rather, well, “cute” of Russia in deciding to name their vaccine “Sputnik V”. I am sure it is because they do not want the world to forget that they were able to send to outer space their invention named “Sputnik”. I admit I don’t know what Sputnik means and if it can be translated to English or even Pilipino, but I do know some people who have named their pets “Sputnik”, too. Still on the subject of vaccines, it was heartening to hear that more of our people have decided to undergo it now. Seems they have lost their initial doubts and have decided to accept it.
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But now international news seems to be bogging headlines, even for us Asians. There is the report about the famous Panama Canal being unpassable recently because a vessel had been stuck in it. Imagine, how many years that canal had been operating, and I have heard that no less than 50 ships pass through it everyday, but now there is need to work on towing that stuck vessel away! How much the impasse has affected the economy, perhaps CNN will tell us later, or may have done so already.
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But other international reports seem to show signs that peace among nations could be disturbed by the actions or decisions of some of them. Reports have shown that Russian spies have infiltrated Bulgaria, but, fortunately, the spy ring was discovered. The diplomate from Russia were expelled, and six Bulgarians charged for allegedly “aiding and abetting” them. For a large fee, I am sure. Nothing was mentioned in the reports, however, what the spies were supposed to achieve, but they are getting just desserts, for their treachery.
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I can no longer remember that saying in Ilonggo about acting after the deed had been done, but the seems to be exactly what happened in the case of the United States where the country is said to be passing laws for stronger restrictions in gun-ownership. This after a trigger-happy mad man, got himself a gun, went to a supermarket, and tested its efficiency by shooting dead ten people! Now their new President, Joe Biden, is talking about restrictions in the acquisition of firearms. Good enough, but not for the ten victims and their bereft families, one of whom, a policeman, had left behind seven children.
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Recently, a medical report was quoted as saying that no one is safe until everyone has been vaccinated. If it is true that more than 50 percent have been vaccinated in our city, then we might be able to attain the so-called “herd immunity”. So let us not be complacent. Let us avail of the vaccines while we can, especially those who are supposed to in the “high risk” ages. I understand the vaccine is free, so there is no reason for our citizens to ignore it. This is especially true for those whose jobs or businesses require them to go out of their homes and mix with the public, particularly those unknown to them. Don’t forget that old bromide about “an ounce of prevention being more than a pound of cure!”*
