Dying on the grass, looking at the sky; 7 April, 2024

7 April, 2024

                                             DYING ON THE GRASS,

                                             LOOKING AT THE SKY…

 

From press reports in Canada a few years back : A doctor had been struck with Covid. Terminally-ill from Covid, he did not want to die on a machine… He asked to be taken to the grass on the hospital grounds, so that he could look at the sky in his dying moments…

 

In Canada a doctor treating Covid patients

Fell to Covid himself

But refused to be placed on respirators.

 

In other medical cases,

The doctor himself had placed many patients

On such machines ...

He himself did not want to die

On one such machine…

 

The hospital complied with his last wish…

 

He was taken to the grass on the premises…

 

His family had to stay some distance off

 

To watch him fade away…

 

Social distancing…

 

He faded away while looking at the sky…

 

What a terrible, heart-rending experience,

 

Both for him and his family…

 

How would he have felt

If these words had rung out in his ears :

“Tough luck, mate,

but the masses will get herd immunity” ?...

 

                               *****

 

In England as far back as January 2020,

Even before the first Covid victim,

Some public officials and scientists

Spoke of “herd immunity,”

Relating to Covid…

 

Instead of rushing to find vaccines,

Their idea was :

Let the illness do its worst,

Millions will die off,

Will jack it in.

The rest will survive…

Herd immunity will kick in….

 

Typical cruelty and callousness…

But, when the Prime Minister himself

Was struck with Covid

He was given the best treatment…

 

The American President even sent

An elite medical team.

The President declared with utmost assurance :

He (the Prime Minister) will recover…

 

That guy did recover,

So much so that he then declar’d

That he was fit

“like a butcher’s dog”…

 

Meanwhile,

Some scientists

Had behav’d rather as butchers…

Soman Ragavan.

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“Oh, England is a pleasant place for them that’s rich and high,

But England is a cruel place for such poor folks as I.”

--Charles Kingsley (1819-1875)

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See the Internet : 

(a)

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=i+don%27t+want+to+die+on+a+machine   

 

(b)

Quebec doctor's death highlights pandemic toll on health ...

(This is a different case)

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7954571/&ved=2ahUKEwiW_bHDwa-FAxWbYPEDHUmSBlEQFnoECBAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1nijVNmNxiCklZDulHGJGJ

 

-----------------

 

From website www.somanragavan.org page “Creations,” file SRW-179, dated 5 April, 2021, Section 11 :

 

“(…)

“11.  It was cruel and heartless to advocate herd immunity as a policy… In the circumstances, talks of herd immunity were tainted with unheard-of cruelty… (…)”

 

“2.   See the following on the Internet, 6 April, 2021, about Covid herd immunity in England :

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-54252272

 

“3.   From the above article, some officials and some scientists in England are reported to have said that herd immunity was NOT a policy. When some scientists in England spoke of herd immunity in early 2020, it might have been interpreted in the public as a policy. This interpretation would be a natural one, as the scientists concerned advise public authorities on the issues and their views are generally heeded. The common person would consider talks of herd immunity as unfair, especially those who had members of their families suffering from the new disease for which no cure was in sight in the near future. Besides, it is a disease quite distressing, causing breathing problems, with patients struggling to breathe in their dying moments. The patients were denied visits, their death would be far from their families and the funerals would only be attended by a handful of close family members, if at all. (In Mauritius, the body is sealed at the hospital and taken directly to the burial / cremation ground).

 

“4.   Indeed, about 500 academics in England had signed a petition protesting against the mention of herd immunity. If academics themselves had protested against the term, what should be expected from the common person in the street ?... What would be HIS interpretation of the term in the circumstances ?... For an example of how death from the disease was poignant, see file SRW-173, Section 10, part of which is reproduced below :

“(…)

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=i+don%27t+want+to+die+on+a+machine 

 

(…)

“5.   The notion of letting the disease spread to some extent as people would get immune to it, while having possibly some scientific basis, is unacceptable to the common person, who sees his dear ones suffering or dying from it. His interpretation is that his family members are expendable, that they have to suffer or die so that the population at large gets immunised.

----------------------  

From website www.somanragavan.org page “Creations,” file SRW-179 dated 5 April,2021

“PART B : HERD IMMUNITY

 

“8.   In the early months of 2020, public authorities in England were apparently dragging their feet about tackling Covid resolutely. Some top scientists even spoke of just letting herd immunity kick in... Herd immunity does happen, indeed, in many cases of widespread viruses. But, at what costs ?... Would those in the scientific community who advocate herd immunity care if they are the ones to fall to the disease in the process ?...

“9.   The English Prime Minister himself was struck with Covid… He was admitted to hospital. The Americans said they had sent him the best medical help possible, including a top medical team. There is no doubt that he got the best medical help. After recovery, he said that he was “fit like a butcher’s dog.” See the following on the Internet, 4 April, 2021, about this :

(1)

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=bori8s+johnson+fit+like+a+butcher%27s+dog

 

(2)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwid6NSCgOTvAhUmEWMBHY79BBcQFjABegQIBRAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.itv.com%2Fnews%2F2020-11-16%2Fboris-johnson-goes-into-self-isolation-just-as-he-tries-to-relaunch-premiership&usg=AOvVaw1P4WYG60TO5z_5XmwGWYlO

 

(3)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwid6NSCgOTvAhUmEWMBHY79BBcQFjACegQIBhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fpolitics%2F2020%2Fsep%2F29%2Fis-boris-johnson-really-fit-as-a-butchers-dog&usg=AOvVaw2T--ZbnfAwC3Ce8F9kLx8l 

 

(4)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwid6NSCgOTvAhUmEWMBHY79BBcQFjADegQIAhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.standard.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fboris-johnson-fit-butchers-dog-selfisolation-twitter-video-b71387.html&usg=AOvVaw2Knlrfs1PO2IoTHboVYDRm

 

“10.  It was cruel, callous of scientists to speak of “herd immunity” when people were suffering and dying off from the disease. “Herd immunity” in the circumstances meant : “Let the weak, the frail, the unfortunate drop dead along the way… The fittest will survive... Let natural selection do its job… The nation will be depleted but will survive and will be left with strong individuals…” About 112 000 people have died so far from Covid in England since March 2020. As it turned out, the road to herd immunity is littered with the cadavers of the weak, the frail, the unfortunate... They were deficient in immunity : the scientists were deficient in humanity…

“11.  It was cruel and heartless to advocate herd immunity as a policy… In the circumstances, talks of herd immunity were tainted with unheard-of cruelty… What a cruel road, that Herd Immunity Road !… Many were callously left to their own devices on Herd Immunity Road : those who did not make it now sleep an eternal sleep in the forlorn cemeteries … while their luckier fellow citizens fare rather well…

“12.  From the start, Sweden, too, advocated herd immunity about Covid for some time, refusing to lock down. Then, things changed. So far, about 13 498 people have died from Covid in Sweden… Some probably fled the country, not trusting their luck in being saved by some theoretical herd immunity… See the following on the Internet, 4 April, 2021, about Covid in Sweden :

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjqsouWz-TvAhWltXEKHVyXCSoQFjAHegQICxAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fworld%2F2020%2F11%2F18%2Fsweden-coronavirus-surge-policy%2F&usg=AOvVaw12VFJQioUTrEb6uEnG4t9N

 

“13.  See the following on the Internet, 4 April, 2021, about talks of herd immunity in England about Covid :

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjh8bKlhOTvAhU0EWMBHR5XA7EQFjAAegQIAhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-politics-54252272&usg=AOvVaw3xribUmKpgYTDwjcoFqk5k

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjh8bKlhOTvAhU0EWMBHR5XA7EQFjABegQICBAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fuk-53433824&usg=AOvVaw0jIzEjiuce0aRk5eq_Y5RI

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjh8bKlhOTvAhU0EWMBHR5XA7EQFjACegQICxAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcontent%2Ff75418a9-9ef5-4684-9222-758635e906b1&usg=AOvVaw35cO8mWoPPJAnRqu_5PSWo

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjh8bKlhOTvAhU0EWMBHR5XA7EQFjAEegQIBxAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalgeographic.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fuk-backed-off-on-herd-immunity-to-beat-coronavirus-we-need-it&usg=AOvVaw3bH0XaRSYNV6LOFpdk272n  

 

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From website www.somanragavan.org page “Creations,” file SRW-181 dated 13 April, 2021

“PART A : HERD IMMUNITY

“(This file takes up again some points from SRW-180). As in the case of many countries, Covid possibly reached England in December 2019. The first death from Covid in England was reported to be around 6 March, 2020. Yet, at the beginning of January 2020, some scientists in England were talking of herd immunity. Thus, even before the ravages had started, those scientists were looking at the long-term situation. Apparently, what would happen along the way did not bother them at all. They coldly overlooked the suffering and death that large parts of the population might have to endure, knowing it was a respiratory disease, a disease for which there was yet no cure, knowing also the speed with which the disease was spreading and knowing the ravages caused by the disease in China. The country’s survival would have to be ensured on the cadavers of thousands of the citizens. As it turned out, more than 112 000 people have died so far from Covid in England…

 

“2.   The Prime Minister and a member of the royal family were struck with Covid; they were given the best medical help, and they recovered. With the outbreak of Covid, members of the royal family cut out all functions, out of health precautions.

 

“3.   If their children, grandchildren, wives, parents, grandparents had been afflicted with Covid, would those scientists have said : “We are sorry, guys, some or many of you will fall to the disease; many others out there will also jack it in; the population will be depleted, but most will survive and will get herd immunity… Not to worry, folks, the country will survive…” ?

 

“4.   When epidemics or pandemics strike, it is the job of scientists to help find solutions. Yet, in this case, the pronouncement of some top scientists was that : many will die off, some might recover, the population will be reduced, but herd immunity will kick in. They held this view even before action had started to find cures for the disease…

 

SOMAN RAGAVAN

7 April, 2024

 

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