WFH not WCS

Things only happen once, for the first time.

Science teaches that we only really REMEMBER something once. Being in the moment is the experience, and the first time you recollect the moment, it is unique. Thereafter, we are only recalling the memory of the event. And as we progress through time, we are remembering a diluted version of the truth, so that the event itself is a mere shadow.

As time marches on, our memories become unreliable.

I think I have a good perspective on this Covid mumbo jumbo, so I’m writing down my thoughts to preserve this mad moment in time precisely. A pandemic diary. Make no mistake: we are going through a world-changing event and we probably won’t come out the same on the other side, so I believe we may as well enjoy the ride.

My viewpoint is unique only because I have a son with severe special needs. This doesn’t give me any wisdom or insight, it’s just a rare angle from which to examine the problem. I learned what a virus was very early in Aaron’s life, because viruses prey on the weak and my boy was born weak.

In 2014, before Aaron was a year old, he was in a local London hospital when a SUPERBUG broke out. It was an unknown virus that had somehow emerged in the hospital and was infecting patients. Several who were in intensive care died, and AJ caught the virus. His temperature sky-rocketed, he had trouble breathing and he was rushed into ICU. The doctor told us he would probably die. Straight up he said it, I will never forget.

Which brings me to the first thing to bear in mind: medical experts have a duty of care to inform you of the worst-case scenario (“WCS”). From the moment my boy with retarded genes was born, doctors kept giving us the WCS, so I was used to it. The old adage applies: hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

AJ survived his first battle with a virus, but I had to understand what had scared the doctors so much because I knew this wouldn’t be the last. One of the doctors explained it to me and I think it’s important to know, so let’s take a brief scientific interlude:

Viruses are the smallest of all the microbes. They are said to be so small that 500 million rhinoviruses (which cause the common cold) could fit onto the head of a pin. They are unique because they are only alive and able to multiply inside the cells of other living things. The cell they multiply in is called the host cell.

Viruses only exist to make more viruses.

They penetrate the host and somehow force it to start creating more cells like it. Doctors don’t understand how, but when a virus infects a cell, it forces it to make thousands more viruses, which inevitably kill the host cell. When cells start dying, humans become critically ill.

The only line of defence against viral infection is your Immune System. This army is made up of various organs, cells and proteins: your body’s soldiers tasked with fighting off things like viruses by creating immune cells who don’t let the viruses multiply.

In this microscopic cellular war, most viruses are not strong enough to overcome a robust human immune system. Unfortunately, immune systems start deteriorating rapidly from around the age of fifty. It’s the reason two thirds of all deaths that happen in the world every day are age-related.

Viruses flourish in hosts with weakened immune systems. When AJ survived the first night of this infection, the doctors proudly congratulated us, calling it miraculous. But then he crashed and we were rushed back to ICU, where the doctor delivered a chilling WCS verdict: your boy has a 30% chance of surviving.

He had contracted sepsis, which is caused when the immune system works overtime to fight infection. In the WCS’s, sepsis leads to a life-threatening drop in blood pressure that doctors call septic shock. (I am sure this is what is killing many of the Covid-19 victims)

Thankfully, Aaron is a warrior and fought off the shock and awe, but when this mysterious virus from Wuhan reared its head, I immediately took notice because I know first-hand how menacing these micro predators are. Ironically, I was in China and Italy in December 2019 for business, but I missed both outbreaks (or caused them?)

Which brings me to point two: one of the few mercies of Covid-19 is that it leaves young children virtually untouched — a mystery virologists say may hold vital clues as to how the virus works. In China, only 2.4% of reported cases were children and only 0.2% of reported cases were children who got critically ill, according to the WHO. China has reported no case of a young child dying of the disease. Meanwhile, the new coronavirus has proved especially deadly on the other end of the age spectrum.

It’s a far-fetched movie plot: an unknown virus that attacks the old and weak but spares the children.

It is an exceptionally transmissible, but not very deadly virus. This means several will get it, but almost no one will die from it. Except for people with weak immune systems. It is not discriminatory to say that only the weak are at risk, it is a scientific fact.

When the dust settles, I think we will all be better off, because hopefully we will appreciate the power of a strong immune system. Ever since my science lesson with the virologist 6 years ago, I have been obsessed with boosting my and my family’s immune systems.

It so simple: eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, get enough sleep and maintain good hygiene. If you do this, your cellular soldiers will be perfectly equipped to whip any virus’s ass. I am 100% sure I won’t die from Covid-19 if I get it, in fact statistically I probably already have it. This disease is simply not scary if you have a good immune system.

Having said that, we have a responsibility to ensure we protect the weak and vulnerable, therefore “locking down”, to whatever extent your local government deems necessary, is a good thing. If all of us with strong immune systems are conscious of avoiding the weak, we will beat this thing quickly. As I heard on a viral voice note from Israel’s minister of defence: we have to stop hugging grandma and grandpa.

Our society never lives in the moment. We operate at a million miles an hour, in a frenzied and boundless state. Instead of enjoying a moment, we take a photo of it. We sit in social settings and distance ourselves by immersing in our phones. Don’t get me wrong — I love photos and I am as obsessed as everyone with my phone — but there is something calming about just being in the moment.

This is an exceptional time to be alive. It will be spoken about for the next century, so I suggest you take it all in. It is absolutely horrible that people are dying, every single soul is important, but we can only do the right thing for ourselves and our communities and pray the dust settles soon. Until then, enjoy the lockdown. Talk to family and friends, say what you are thinking — it is the best way to avoid anxiety and fear. Don’t panic and choose to be positive, it just feels better.

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