AUGUST 7 — “I have done my best. I am tired”.

Those are the words of a doctor friend of mine who has been on duty since the Covid-19 pandemic struck. The honest truth is our frontliners have done their part. It is a case of all hands on deck for them. However, smacking them in their faces are five-digit cases on an upward trend.

Some of them have not seen their respective families for a long time. Perhaps, that is not the pressing matter. Perhaps the matter of grave concern and disappointment to them is the fact that there is still non-compliance and non-adherence to the standard operating procedure (SOP).

This particular doctor friend of mine says it’s a losing battle and is close to throwing in the towel. I am here to tell the particular healthcare officer and all our other frontliners that it is not. Do not give up. Do not falter. There is still hope. We will triumph.

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News of more individuals being fully vaccinated is positive. It is a step in the right direction towards achieving herd immunity. I figure no one will argue with me on that fact. However, I do not have the answers as to why the cases are rising day by day.

I sincerely hope for things to be better before too long, and for this to happen there needs to be full co-operation from everyone. One cannot wave the ignorance card around anymore. We have been living with the Covid-19 virus for over a year now.

No, I do not believe your excuses for not wearing a mask or to do away with contact tracing or social distancing. Should the Covid-19 virus take a human form, I imagine it would be laughing at how our mistakes make it easier for it to rear its ugly head.

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Walk-in vaccine recipients receive their Covid-19 jabs at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre vaccination centre, August 2, 2021. ― Picture by Hari Anggara
Walk-in vaccine recipients receive their Covid-19 jabs at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre vaccination centre, August 2, 2021. ― Picture by Hari Anggara

I do not need to rant about non-compliance to the SOPs anymore. I find myself sounding like a broken record. My message is simple. Do the right thing in the best interest of safety and health and to protect and save lives. Please, do not be selfish or downright ignorant.

No amount of darkness can triumph over the tiniest of light. We need to unite, more so now than ever. We will be celebrating our Independence Day at the end of the month. Unity goes hand in hand with Independence.

Our common enemy today is the Covid-19 virus. There can only be one victor. It better be us.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.