I’m beginning to think that a lot of people, young people in particular, live on another planet and are unaware of what the coronavirus pandemic is doing to us and what it means. I can understand why adolescents have had enough of being locked up in a flat with their moaning parents. Even the Playstation […]
Medicine
Mark Rutte Patronizes The Dutch Dental Profession
I’ll give Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte the benefit of the doubt. Here is a man under pressure because his entire liberal, easy-going vision of the world is being deep-frozen by a virus that’s even smaller than the smallest of viruses. In answer to a question on whether dentists could open their practices, Rutte patronizingly […]
Our Biggest Weakness Is To Think We Are Invincible
Weakness, is thinking of oneself as invincible. – Roberto Saviano Exactly one month ago, I started cancelling appointments at my dental practice, following advice from the Dutch dental association to only treat acute emergencies, and avoid patients who have been tested positive for the coronavirus or who present symptoms, like the plague. We are […]
Jair Bolsonaro – The Plonker From Brazil
I’ll be honest and say that I actually missed Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, enlightening us on the importance of being ill. I spend half my time trying to understand how the Dutch ministry for health manages to convince us that the pandemic is showing signs of stabilising whilst, at the same time, publishing figures […]
In Need Of Sense And Responsibility
The situation is scary because the enemy is invisible, and although not everyone is sick, we are all affected. We must all take our responsibility. I have studied enough biology at school and university to know what a virus is and how it acts. The PhD I obtained in 1999, although mainly focusing […]
Safe New World
My son entered the room, sanitized his hands, rinsed his mouth with chlorhexidine, and jumped on the bed to kiss his mother. It was a safe new world. The vacuum-sealed wardrobe opened when the alarm clock struck seven. It was Tuesday – time to wear the blue three-piece suit with the green tie. […]
Solidarity? No, It’s The Fear Of A Virus
It’s a scene from everyday life. I go to the tank station and pay at the till. The cashier is not wearing a face mask but both his hands are covered with black gloves that I presume to be disposable. He hands me the receipt and, without changing his gloves, attends to the next customer. […]
Macron’s COVID-19 Advisor Underestimated Pandemic
I watched last Wednesday’s French news bulletin with a quiet bewilderment that bordered on incomprehension. The head of the governmental scientific committee, and advisor to president Macron over the COVID-19 pandemic, publicly admitted that he (and others) had underestimated the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. Jean-François Delfraissy, immunologist and chairman of the coronavirus scientific committee, […]
The Coronavirus Pandemic And Individual Responsibility
It is strange that what many people decry in our societies – loneliness – will probably save us from flirting with partial extinction. In confining the whole population of France to two weeks of house arrest, Emmanuel Macron has used one of the ills of present-day society so that we can all continue living together. […]
When The Face Mask Goes Viral
There are winners and losers in every walk of life, and a viral epidemic is no exception. The ongoing spread of the coronavirus has led to the tripling of the price of a face mask. Whereas a month ago, a box of 50 surgical face masks cost me less than 5 euros, I’m now having […]