The Virus - Chapter 6

How a Virus Changed the World …. for the Better….

Chapter 6            The Dream

Dr. Jolly was getting busier by the hour. On one hand, his job as the world-renowned virologist at the World Health Organization was very demanding and on the other hand, he was trying to manage his personal life. These days, he was constantly thinking about his daughter in India and hoping that she would come home soon. He was also dating Dr. Maria Gutierrez and there seemed to be some good chemistry between them.   

Dr. Jolly woke up early in the morning from a dream that he was on a train in a mountainous area where monkeys were driving huge machines that kept cutting into the rocks. There were lots of people on the train dressed in colorful clothes. They were walking up and down the aisle as they kept looking at each other and pointing to the mountain.

Dr. Jolly sat up in bed for a few minutes reflecting on the dream. He then walked to the window where the view of Central Park with people walking and doing exercise was all about the beauty of life.

After a quick cup of coffee. He opened his notebook computer to check his emails. He had a message from Dr. Li in Beijing at the Ministry of Health. He looked at the time. It was 7:00 AM in New York which meant 7:00 PM in Beijing. He decided to call him, and sure enough Dr. Li picked up.

“Hello, Dr. Li”

“Who is this?”

“This is Dr. Jolly in New York at the WHO.”

“Oh, Dr. Jolly! I just sent you an email. it’s wonderful to hear from you.”

“Yes, I got your email. Are you able to talk right now?”

“No problem doctor, we can talk.”

“Well, Dr. Li, I have been following the news in China. But I would like to receive more information from your ministry of health directly. We also have lots of questions about the origins of the virus in China.”

There was a long pause and then in a very low voice Dr. Li responded. “Well, let me see what information we can provide.”

“Thank you, eventually, we would like to send a delegation from the WHO to visit China.”

“Well, before you plan a visit we need to get approval obviously. Dr. Jolly, I would love to hear about your research at the WHO?”

“Yes, of course. We are doing some research on how the loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation causes the extinction of some predator animals while it helps rats, bats and prey animals thrive and they are often the host for dangerous pathogens that can jump to humans. In our research we are looking at central parts of China which is going through a lot of development and loss of biodiversity.” Dr. Jolly explained.

Dr. Li listened carefully. “My English is not that good. I understood the main idea, but would you please send me an email with this information. I would love to learn more.”

“For sure, Dr. Li, I will. please take care and keep us posted of any new developments.”

“Thank you so much Dr. Jolly.”

In the afternoon, Dr. Jolly sent a text message to his new friend Dr. Maria Gutierrez at Pfizer.

“Hi Maria, how are you doing?”

After a few minutes. “Hi Tony, it’s great to hear from you. it’s been super busy here. I know you have an extremely busy schedule as well.” Dr. Gutierrez texted.

“Yes, lots of developments worldwide. The virus is spreading quickly, as you know. I’m going to Geneva tomorrow for a big meeting at the WHO.”

“Have you heard from your daughter?” Asked Dr. Gutierrez.

“Yeah, I talked to her yesterday. She is trying to book a flight. Can I call you later tonight?”

“Sure, I should be home after 8.” Dr. Gutierrez responded

The news kept pouring in from different areas worldwide. Asia, Europe, The U.S., Canada, South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand. The death toll was rising dramatically daily. In some countries governments were already initiating protocols and restrictions while some other countries were still trying to decide on what to do.

Dr. Jolly had a zoom appointment with Dr. Layla Ibrahim from the office of public health in Cairo, Egypt.

“Dr. Ibrahim, it’s great to meet you.”

“Dr. Jolly, it’s an honor to meet you. I have heard a lot about you and of course I have read many of your articles.”   

“Wow, thank you. we are all trying to learn as we go.” Dr. Jolly responded.

“Well, Doctor, the reason I wanted to talk to you is the sudden rise in the number of infections from the virus. Many of our hospitals are almost at full capacity. We are experiencing a very high death rate.”

Dr. Jolly listened carefully. “Well, we are getting similar reports from many other countries as well. It would be a good idea to initiate regional lockdowns and restrictions to stop the spread of the virus in certain high infection areas. Several pharmaceutical companies are working around the clock to come up with a vaccine. But meanwhile we also must start mask and distance protocol to reduce infections.”

“I agree, we are talking to the authorities about possible lockdown and travel restrictions. Hopefully, we can convince them to act. Are there any prevention measures that might be effective?” Dr. Ibrahim asked as she adjusted her hijab.

Dr. Jolly was happy to hear that question. This has been part of his research for many years. “Well, sure, boosting the body’s immune system of course is a very effective way of defending against the impact of the virus. This would mean reducing stress and improving nutrition, clean air and water or even oxygen therapy.” Dr. Jolly continued talking about the urgent need for making changes in the way we live in our global community and the necessity of creating balance in the social, economic, and ecological aspects of our modern civilization.  

Around 7:00 PM after a long day and a series of meetings and discussions, Dr. Jolly went home. He made himself a big salad with lots of veggies, avocado, and dried cranberries. After dinner, he did his nightly meditation and inspirational passages.

There was no news from his daughter in India as he checked his personal emails and phone messages. So, he sent a text message asking if she had been able to book her flight.

At about 8:30 PM, Dr. Jolly called Dr. Gutierrez.

“Hi Maria, how was your day?”

“Hi Tony, I had a good day. We are making great progress with the vaccine.”

“That’s wonderful. It was a very busy day for me as well. I was a little tired because I didn’t sleep well last night. I had an interesting dream.” Dr. Jolly explained.

“Oh, what was the dream?”

Dr. Jolly described his dream of the train in the mountain, the huge machinery, and people in colorful outfits in the train.

“O my God! Tony… that sounds like my village in Columbia. The Wayuu indigenous people. Very colorful. Our tribe live in an area where they are strip mining for coal which is destroying the environment and causing tremendous pollution. Our people are having all kinds of health issues.”

“Wow, Maria, so you think that’s the meaning of the dream?” Dr. Jolly asked.

“Well, it could be. It’s been on my mind for a long time. We are hoping that a new government would act to stop this project.” Dr. Gutierrez responded.  

“Absolutely, Maria! I hope so. Unfortunately, there are lots of project like that worldwide. We all need to reduce our need for energy and fuel. Our consumption is driving the demand for fossil fuels.”

“You’re right. I have also been thinking about that. It would be ideal to move to the countryside and live a simple life.” Dr. Gutierrez talked about her vision of living a simple life close to nature.

Dr. Jolly stood up and went up to the window as he expressed his thoughts. “I totally agree with you. We need to think about living a healthy lifestyle for our own well-being and the environment. We need to help build a better world.”

© 2022 Ramses Rashidi