COVID-19:So what is the truth?

Put it this way, there is a lot of disinformation around COVID-19. There is fear and anxiety and entire populations are under lockdown as an unseen virus grips the globe. Here in the UK we are being encouraged to #StayAtHome #SavetheNHS and #SaveLives. Our daily death toll (that, that is officially counted) is now reaching the 1000s. The frustration and fear has led to an explosion of doubt on social media - daily WhatsApp messages, postings on Reddit and so on.  

Official figures (for incubation, infection and death) are confusing - and in some cases - doubtful. When the epicentre of the outbreak was Wuhan, China, followed very shortly by Qom, Iran what exactly was the link between the infections between these places? When Italy and Spain, with their better equipped health services have reported amongst the highest current death tolls globally, why are the figures from Iran and China not at the same level? And what about the stories (not picked up by the mainstream media) about viral resurgence in those places? Why were the initial responses of the UK and US woeful?

And what about the lockdown - how long do these go on for? Why has there been a vehement media (BBC) and tech giant effort (read Google) to suppress debate about the rollout of 5G? Who is asking the questions about the work of The Wuhan Institute of Virology? Why is the World Health Organisation (WHO) contradictory/political? How come so many powerful investors and business magnates are being linked to the development of a vaccine solution?

So where do we go from here?

... to be fair, I don't really know ...

No one does. 

The exploration of possible answers to the question I start with requires much more than 240 character Tweets or to browse though Instagram pictures. Certainly we need much more stamina to sit, read and explore than seems to be the trend on many (most?) social media platforms. Blogging, perhaps is viewed as slightly old school, so much change has happened in the way we spread and share information over the past few years. 

I know that I have changed; my priorities, day to day worries and concerns have changed.  The way I interact with the world; be it the real world or the virtual world has changed. People around me have changed and I have lost people whom I thought would forever have been there. 

As I've soldiered on through my 40s, some things have become very real - mortality, uncertainty and illness, questions around long established relationships, new relationships, personal ambitions, identity politics, political populism and media influence, culture, tech surveillance and as I write - global pandemics. So how do we deal with these issues? Where do we stand? Where should we stand? 

Essays, conversations, snippits, therapy and social media - I've continued share. I'm not altogether sure I am anywhere nearer the answers, but I know that I am not alone in my thoughts. So when the gloves are off, and I'm free to speak, I shall return to this space to explore - my outlet and my connection. 

Stick around.