Of Wars and Invisible Weapons: An Essay on the COVID-19 Pandemic.

 By Prosper Michael Nwamoma

  Who has  lifted the reproaching hands of death over humans? The helpless mortal earth dwellers muttered. That the knowledge of the twenty-first century physicians be confounded is a fact that immortals find difficult to believe. It is the case of COVID-19 pandemic, a war of invisible weapons that ravaged the Earth. All categories of persons, skilled and unskilled, lettered and unlettered and even practicing professionals, all became impotent at the face of an unpredicted plague.

     It dawned on the Earth as the first-rain does after the harmattan in the sub-saharan region. The "Coronavirus"  as being named according to it's cellular nomenclature was birthed in an outskirt town in Wuhan state of China. The deadly virus has spread beyond the borders of the host nation before it's inhumanity was ascertained. After few weeks of it's discovery, death tolled many nations because China aided the economic and technological strength of many developing countries. 

      Many country's Nationals who travelled China between the late months of 2019 and ensuing months of early 2020 took home the virus as a gift they've got from the business hub (China). This was also the case with Chinese Nationals who went out of their country and traded their latent virus with the pleasantries of others in their new location. The blower here is that none of these carriers knew they were a host to the virus.

      With this cross-country movement by different folks, death record and the possibility of being infected skyrocketed. It sounded unbelievable on hearing statisticians declare the demise of thousands to millions of persons within twenty-four hours. This trend necessitated the shutdown of all outdoor activities across many nations. Hunger became the closest friend to many homes, attrocities reigned in places more than the noise of death because of hunger. Only the "big-fishes" in government houses, political juggernauts, "economic terminators" and their households were the only comfortable people amongst the nations affected.

      Business and financial institutions, educational centres, religious and recreational centres were deserted and left in cold as the cemetery at the odd of the night. Who will heal us? Medical experts roared in disbelief of their impotency. Is God judging us? Hungry folks around the world questioned the space. The palliatives donated by charity-minds to cushion the effect of the calamity have been hurdled out of their reach by the "big-sharks" at the head of controls.

      When multitudes have died and many critically ill in isolation camps only to survive at the mercy of God, the heads of nations introduced the compulsory use of facemasks and hand sanitizers on the masses who ventured out of their  hiding caves. After the incessant rising of death record, the world health organization (WHO) came up with reasons to fund the treatment of the victimized ones which they did unreserved. The fund disbursed by the WHO was as "smoked fish" placed beside a hungry cat. The prior expression describes the state of many state governors and leaders of different regions who claimed to have secured victims of the virus in order to get a cut of the disbursed value.

      As the days went by, weeks passed and months rolled unnoticed, all hands seems to be on deck but achieving nothing significant. It was as though the Highest divinity heard the cry of the helpless and surfaced for pardon. The trend started relaxing with restrictions on movement being laid off at intervals of successes in the war against coronavirus. Businesses, financial, governmental and many other institutions started rising from the dust after the defeat in the war of invisible weapons. The whole of human race, the good and the bad were all amazed at how those predicted to be incurable are recovering and the trend being cooled as a match-spark  in a snow field. Thank God for survival, the survivors chanted in excitement. 

                                              

Prosper Michael Nwamoma is a final year student of Chemical engineering in Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, Imo State. A devoted Christian and one enburdened with thoughts on the welfare of the Nigerian people and the world at large; seeking way for betterment and progress. He enjoys writing to educate, motivate and inform the public. Even as a potential engineer, he dreams of writing many deeds into life.