The coronavirus under a microscope is quite beautiful. The grey sphere is speckled with blood-red triangular spikes, and orange and yellow flowers seem perfectly interspersed on the brain-like surface. This curve, this crowned circle is confounding our own earthly sphere and try as we might to puncture it, it keeps rolling back with new, clever tricks.
My own encounter with COVID-19 for the past year has been in health communication and planning, providing information to people about what to expect at work and in their daily lives as we fought this virus.
But after 12 months of struggling against this spiteful spike, I feel defeated.
I have not suffered personally from this horrible disease and I am grateful for the admirable job that has been done in Australia to contain this pandemic.
Many citizens around the world have not been as lucky. Millions of lives and livelihoods have been lost forever.
It’s a lot to take in, when you sit back and think about it.
On this last day of March 2021, I think I have just realised that the battle lies before us, and that what has happened this past year is only the beginning.
When the latest three-day lockdown was declared in Brisbane this week, many people reverted to panic buying , stripping shelves of toilet paper and flour as they hurried home to wait and worry.
It’s easy to criticise this behaviour, but I think everyone is a bit tired and fearful.
Damn it, COVID, it seemed like we were close to getting through this, but you with your thorny, irresistible crown seemed to have other ideas!
So the hard work must go on.
But we should pause to acknowledge what people have accomplished – the nurses and doctors who have saved lives; the politicians (yes, them) who have supported people who lost their jobs; the business people who have kept staff employed through the tough times; and the ordinary people everywhere who will not bow down to the lovely red crown.