The Tribe Has Spoken

“If anybody has a hidden immunity idol and you want to play it, now will be the time to do so.” I can’t count the number of times Jeff Probst has uttered these words in all the 40 seasons of Survivor. 

In this popular reality television, you need to be able to “Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast” other players. In order to do that, you need to win challenges to ensure you don’t get voted out during the tribal councils. Winning an immunity idol in the final challenge guarantees you a shot at bringing home the prize of one million dollars ($1M).

If this global pandemic is just another season of Survivor, everyone would probably want to get an idol for themselves if only to get out of this crisis a winner- that is to say, alive. But no one can give anyone immunity. Not with COVID-19. 

That’s why when the government of Chile announced that they will issue “immunity certificates” to those who recovered from the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against it saying the “certificates could inspire false confidence and help..spread [the virus],” according to a bbc.com news article. They argued that the so-called risk-free certificates “could even be harmful, because they could lead people to ignore public health advice and therefore increase the risk of transmitting the disease.”

While Chile has a total of 99,358 recoveries to date, as of this writing, 4,207 new cases have been reported. Therefore, having the said ‘medical passport’ may prove detrimental than instrumental. 

We don’t have 39 days like the castaways had on the island. No one knows how long this ‘show’ will go on. But until then, everyone needs to stay vigilant and avoid getting blindsided.

COVID-19: An Imitation

Train to Busan became a hit despite being a movie about zombies- a subject widely seen in US television series and Hollywood movies with ‘Warm Bodies’, ‘World War Z’ and ‘Zombieland’ being few of their most notable outings. It’s success however did not solely rely on the gruesome undead’s ability to cause terror - that was rather expected; it didn’t even seem to be the result of intense action sequences although those carried some weight overall. What cemented this Korean film to be hailed great was its humanity- the characters were familiar. 

How these characters reacted in a dire situation surrounded by ‘death’ reflected the viewers’ own principles, values and biases. When faced with the same horror, will you stand for what is good and extend a hand or will you save your own skin with your every-man-for-himself philosophy? Will you show compassion even if it means your demise or will you shut your heart from any emotion to survive? Will you follow the rules for everyone’s sake or will you carve your own ‘track’ to reach your destination ahead of others? 

We may not be suffering from an apocalypse today but this pandemic raises the same fundamental questions about our own humanity. COVID-19 is the ‘walking dead’ we never imagined; the unknown that the world grapples with equal uncertainty. 

So much for art imitating life. Let the final credits roll!

Humanity's Best Friend

In light of the current global pandemic, home confinement (for most people) may sound like a prison. Introverts, however, may argue it’s a luxury. The former is the group who’ve been most anxious in the last few months- bridled by their solitary existence; the latter, exactly the opposite- content and criminally happy with their own domestication.

But none is happier than the beloved pets of both groups. Dogs and cats alike often wait patiently for their owners to come home from work back when normal meant an 8-to-5 job at a plush office. So it must have been a weird but welcome surprise for them to see their fur mommies and daddies safely tucked inside the house with them all day. However, with the coronavirus or COVID-19, safety is very relative for both humans and animals. 

It was shocking when news broke back in March that a pomeranian in Hong Kong was reported as the first case of an animal having contracted the virus. While it tested negative in a follow up test, soon the dog died a few days after being released from the quarantine facility. 

Recently, National Geographic reported that a german shepherd in New York officially became the first dog in the US to test positive for the virus. Two months ago, LA Times published an article that a pug named Winston from North Carolina supposedly tested positive along with his owner’s children and husband. This was later cleared by subsequent tests done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

It is still unclear whether or not animal-to-human transmission of the said virus is possible. What is clear however is that these familial companions are too precious to lose especially in this time when everybody needs a ‘buddy’.