More than one year has passed since the first case of Covid-19 was detected in Hungary. At that time, no one had any idea that this virus would completely upend our lives and our society for an entire year. Yet here we are, and we are a bit bruised and bloodied, to put it mildly. Hungary currently has the 8th most coronavirus deaths per capita in the world, and we are 4th when it comes to the average over the last week. But for some reason, we still have moronic messiahs like Gődény holding maskless anti-lockdown rallies on Heroes’ Square.
179 Hungarians died due to Covid-19 on March 9th. Over 500 people are dying to this virus every week, yet we still have people denying that it exists. If anyone still doubts just how bad this virus is and refuses to accept the numbers (2.6+ million dead worldwide, 16,000+ dead Hungarians), then just watch the video of covid patients saying “I don’t want to die” in the overloaded Slovak hospital in Dunaszerdahely (Dunajska Streda).
We have long passed the point where everyone knows someone who had the virus and are slowly getting to the point where everyone knows someone who spent time in the hospital, or maybe even succumbed to the virus.
Now let’s talk about vaccines for a moment. Just a few quick facts for those who need a reality check. No, Bill Gates will not be injecting microchips into your body to control your brain. No, 5G has nothing to do with any of this. And to the racist Romanian AUR senator who is publicly claiming that the vaccines are a ploy to sterilize women, resign, you are a danger to society!
I understand that people have some reasonable doubts regarding certain vaccines, reasonable meaning a worry about proper clinical testing, not the tinfoil-hat conspiracy theory stuff mentioned above. It is fair to say that vaccine procurement has become overly politicized in Hungary and around the world. But here’s the thing, Hungary is receiving vaccines from multiple sources, and if an individual does not wish to receive a certain vaccine, they can choose to wait for another one. We have already received shipments of Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, and AstraZeneca, and will continue receiving them.
The one thing that we cannot fault our government for is providing a choice for those who wish to vaccinate themselves no matter what.
And this is something that everyone needs to understand. Either we wait for a temporary reprieve to happen, like last summer, where for a few months the virus retreated due to the warmer weather (but this is by no means guaranteed), or we vaccinate enough Hungarians to allow for at least a limited reopening. But protesting without a mask in a large crowd of people is literally the absolute worst thing that someone can do right now if they want this lockdown to end.
We all want to see our loved ones. We all want to go out and have a drink with our friends. We all want to travel again. But our loved ones and our friends need to be alive for life to be able to return to normal. We have made it through a year of Covid-19, is wearing a mask for a few more weeks really so unbearable, that we as a society are willing to risk more empty chairs at the dinner table?
So, wear a mask, keep your distance, and stay patient just a bit longer.
Many Hungarians have received the second dose of the vaccine, we are nearing the end of this coronavirus crusade. And if you see someone spreading lies on the internet, about microchips or 5G or any other dangerous nonsense, don’t be afraid to call them out on it.
Featured photo illustration by MTI/EPA/LUSA/José Coelho
