2021 01 26
作者 Article by Margaret Loo
新冠襲加一週年
二零二零年終於過去了! 但被世界衛生組織命名為『2019 新型冠狀病毒』 (COVID-19)的病毒, 卻沒有離我們而去。根據報世界衛生組織網上的資料, 這病毒自從 2020 年 1 月開始在世界各國開始蔓延, 截至 2021 年 1 月23 日下午 4:57 分, 全球有 219 個國家和地區, 共逾 99, 106,980 確診病例。並超過 2, 125, 021 名患者死亡。
有人認為這場已延續了超過了一年的疫情是一場世界大戰。 是那眼看不見, 手摸不著的新冠狀病毒與全人類的戰爭。這是一場全球性的災難, 任何人, 不論是國家政要, 皇室成員, 還是平民百姓, 都有可能染疫。這想法令我們既害怕, 又無奈。
但換個角度來看, 我們也可以說, 每一個人, 都是對抗疫情的精兵。每一個人在抗疫過程中的決擇和行動, 即使簡單如是否帶口罩, 都可以有舉足輕重的影響。在面對和刻服疫情的各種挑戰的過程中, 我們都有份。
最近看了一本書 『神與新冠疫症』 (God and the Pandemic), 作者 N T Wright 提及, 在疫情中,大家都有很多問題,希望找到答案。 而他發現,『 我可以做些什麼?』這一條問題, 能為我們找到最好的答案。Wright 告訴我們, 英國政府在疫情中為國家醫療服務招募義工,即時得到約五十萬人回應。
在 2020 年底, 因抗病疫苗的出現, 大家對 2021 年抱有極大的希望, 認為這場戰爭, 勝利在望。但踏於入 2021 年, 疫苗變種消息從不同國家傳出, 初步資料顯示變種疫苗可能傳染性更強, 死亡率亦可能較高。 與此同時, 世界各地多半疫情反覆, 紛紛出現第二波, 醫療衛生系統開始不堪重負。在這困難時刻,我們要發揮同舟共濟的精神, 每一個人不但要切底履行公民責任, 遵守各項公共衛生的指示, 亦要認真問自己, 『我還可以做些什麼?』
新冠病毒與罪惡的泛濫。可有異同?
The anniversary of the invasion of the coronavirus to Canada
2020 is finally over! But the virus named "COVID-19” by the World Health Organization is still with us. According to the information reported on the World Health Organization website, the virus has started spreading to countries around the world since January 2020. As at 4:57 pm on January 23, 2021, there are 99,106,980 confirmed cases in 219 countries and regions around the world. And 2, 125, 021 patients had died.
Some people consider this pandemic comparable to a world war. It is a war between the invisible and intangible coronavirus and mankind. It is a global disaster. Anyone, whether he or she is a national dignitary, a member of the royal family, or just a civilian, may be infected. We are not only scared but helpless. But from another perspective, we can also say that everyone is a soldier in this war against the coronavirus. A person’s decisions and actions in this fight, even as simple as whether to wear a mask, can have a decisive impact. In the process of facing and overcoming the various challenges of the pandemic, we are all in the same boat.
I recently read a book titled “God and the Pandemic". The author N T Wright mentioned that in the pandemic, people have many questions and hope to find answers. He noted that we can find the best answers by asking the question “What can we do?” According to Wright, in an attempt to recruit volunteers for the National Health Service during the pandemic last year, the British government received an immediate response from about half a million people.
At the end of 2020, due to the possible availability of the coronavirus vaccines, people were hopeful that victory in this war was in sight. However, with the arrival of 2021, there is news of virus variants coming from a few countries. Preliminary data show that the variant virus may be more infectious and the mortality rate may also be higher. At the same time, many countries encountered a fierce second wave with their medical and health systems being overwhelmed. In this difficult time, we should stand by each other. People should earnestly fulfill their civic responsibilities and comply with all the public health instructions. And everyone should also seriously ask themselves, "What more can we do? “
The coronavirus and the sin of mankind. Is there any resemblance?