2020 – The unforgettable year
2020, what a year! 2020 will be the year we will never forget. For many of us, 2020 will be the most memorable year in our lifetime.
2020 is the year the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. It was on 11 Mar 2020. The pandemic was so widespread and so deadly that it has affected every nation and every individual.
2020 is the year you heard of sons and daughters who could not hold their parents’ hands and said goodbye when their parents passed away due to COVID-19 complications.
2020 is the year you heard of doctors who had to make the heartbreaking choice of who to save when the hospitals were overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
When New York State was hardest hit by COVID-19, New York’s Emergency Responders said it was like 9/11 every single day.
2020 is the year Collins Dictionary selected the word “Lockdown” as the word of the year.
2020 – The year of Upheaval
During the lockdown, the never-sleep New York Times Squares became a ghost town.
2020 is the year we avoided handshake as a friendly gesture and discouraged hugging as a show of affection.
2020 is the year when millions of office workers were told to work from home instead of their well-equipped offices. These office workers had to adjust with lightning speed to make their home more conducive to working from home.
2020 is the year the pandemic hit travel and transport businesses the hardest resulting in a drastic 80% reduction in business volume. Never before airlines operated at less than 5% capacity. So many airplanes were grounded.
2020 is the year you heard the sad family abuse cases and mental health issues when the family went through psychological trauma during the lockdown.
2020 – The year of the best of the human spirit
However, and fortunately, the crisis also brought out the best of the human spirit, the best of human determination, and the best of human resilience. While there has been pain and suffering, there have also been inspirational and heartwarming moments.
You might have heard the good stories of communities coming together to praise and show their appreciation for doctors and nurses for their dedication to keep COVID-19 patients alive. Their sacrifices and contributions touch our hearts and souls.
You might have heard the cheerful stories of people singing and dancing on their balconies to keep other people’s spirits high during a lockdown. They showed care and concern for the community and the people affected most by the pandemic.
You might have heard the touching stories of kind-hearted people delivering food and essentials to those who were in isolation or could not leave their homes. Salute to ordinary people who stepped up to help others in need.
You might have heard the encouraging story of innovative companies ramping up production capacity so fast that they produced record numbers of face masks and face shields. New ventilators were designed and manufactured in a never-achieved record of 30 days.
You might have learned that digital and virtual applications have accelerated so fast in 2020 that it took only months, instead of years, for companies to accomplish their set targets in the digital transformation journey.
You might have heard the spirit-uplifting story about the speed of vaccine development. In less than one year since the start of the pandemic, there are 200+ COVID-19 vaccines in development, 40+ in clinical trials, and 9+ in the final phase of clinical trials. Usually, a vaccine would take years to develop, and many vaccine developments never even get to clinical trials. What an achievement!
2020 saw reduced travel producing an unprecedented reduction in global greenhouse gas emission.
So much about 2020.
2021 – The Year of Hope
2021 will be the year of hope, the hope of returning to pre-COVID normal or at least a new normal.
The end of The Pandemic in 2021?
In 2021, the COVID-19 vaccination will be every nation’s biggest health program. Airlines will be busy transporting billions of vaccine doses around the world.
The success of the COVID-19 vaccination program will be so vitally critical for the world to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
I wish the World Health Organization (WHO) would declare the end of the pandemic someday in 2021.
World Healthcare Worker Day?
Also, I wish the world would come together to mark a special day in 2021 as “World Healthcare Worker Day” to pay tribute to all our healthcare and frontline workers for their dedication and contribution to human health in this pandemic.
Goodbye, 2020.
We look forward to 2021 – the year of hope!
Want to read more COVID-19 related blogs? Click “COVID-19 Living and Life”.
Although adversity, eg due to Covid-19, is undesirable, we must not sink into despair but find energy and courage to respond positively. As important is the lesson learnt on inter-dependency, we only have one planet earth.
We can only agree with you.
You just forgot another good thing in 2020: Trump lost the elections😊😊
Yes that was what the world did. First there was the sense of despair, then the world found strength to display the best of the human spirits and the resolve to fight against COVID-19. And we found hope, the vaccine is the hope, with other measures, to defeat this COVID-19 virus.