When in doubt or fear – laugh! That could very well be the reaction of the human race if the memes and jokes about COVID-19 are anything to go by. The news coming out of China is grim with two new variants laying vast swathes of the population low. Cases are spiking and these new variants seem to have travelled out to other parts of the world as well. This shadowy warning of a possible new epidemic has led to a hysterical round of jokes, as if we plan to scare off the virus with our laughter.

Learn to once again practice caution with properly work masks, frequent hand-washing and maintaining safe distancing in public. We also need to sort out what is absolutely essential in terms of travel and gatherings so as to avoid exposure to danger and build a firewall that the virus will be unable to cross easily. This time round, even though the experts say the vaccines and boosters are ineffective against the variants which attach the upper respiratory tract immediately, the fact is many of us are partially protected by vaccination and/or recovery from a bout of COVID-19.