If war is politics by other means, politics is the art of death to keep power. Nothing better explains the world’s response to Covid-19, July 2021.

The larger concern is a battlefield where the air itself will be trying to kill you.

Ran a line in the CBS drama series Seal Team Season 3, Episode 9, “Kill or Cure”. Nothing better explains where the world is heading as July comes to an end, vaccines or not.

Where the medical journal Lancet has just pre-published a research paper showing a “similar” incidence of rare blood clotting with AstraZeneca as with Pfizer rendering both equally safe, while Pfizer’s marketing reach has all month said otherwise.

Where Israel is today beginning a roll out of a 3rd Pfizer dose to its over-60s seeing that mainstream media has largely hidden Pfizer’s efficacy decline that occurs six months after Dose 2—that both Pfizer and I took note of in April.

Where news broke a day ago, of a Covid-Delta Strain in Nanjing, China, that has since spread from its airport to Beijing and surrounds, causing a potential wave that the BBC quotes China’s State Media as saying is, “The worst since Wuhan.”

Where a Delta outbreak in Sydney, Australia, did not spur its state government into urgent action. Rather, New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian said that lockdowns were, “Not the Sydney way.”

Where weeks later, with Sydney showing itself in an escalating Covid wave and only then just beginning restrictions, Berejiklian told a reporter, “Call it whatever you like,” when asked if this was now a lockdown?

Where more weeks on, with daily cases still not trending down an excitable Berejiklian said, “Lockdowns don’t work in Sydney.”

Where a few hours next, Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison berated her saying that, “Lockdowns are the way,” and “they must be effective”. Morrison had originally congratulated Berejiklian for keeping Sydney open.

Where during this entire time, the state of Victoria found itself with a Delta outbreak leaked from Sydney.

Where Victoria, with the same starting case numbers as Sydney, did immediately fully lockdown and hard. And where Victoria today reported 2 new daily Covid-19 community cases where Sydney reported 210.

Where Sydney’s wave also leaked into South Australia and Queensland, and where Queensland will begin its own hard lockdown in an hour’s time.

So, I haven’t been writing much prose this month.

Rather I’ve been taking to Twitter where, humble as my following has been, it tripled on Tuesday July 27 when I hit a nerve posting:

NSW and Victoria each started with 2 Covid-Delta cases. Victoria went into hard lockdown, NSW didn’t. Victoria is opening up tomorrow. All other argument is obfuscation, politics and bullshit. Vaccines didn’t reopen Victoria. Locking down did.

That Tweet’s numbers are still ticking along. Over 4.8K likes and 1.3K retweets. I think I found my 15 minutes of fame.

It was truth. And it shows people are sick of lies.

A week ago, Saturday, July 24, one day after that Berejiklian flip-flop I finally Tweeted:

I used to reserve Twitter for my annual Carols by Candlelight where’s Humphrey Tweets. These past weeks I’ve had the pleasure to follow some fine journalists. All of us writers now seem to share something in common. Yesterday and today have broken us. But writers have to shake it off.

Today the UK is open surrendering to Covid-19; the USA is dancing in Chicago denying Covid-19; the Olympics are underway in Tokyo while the host city is starving of hospital beds due to Covid-19.

And I’m uncomfortably numb.

© 2021 Adam Parker.