I felt like I was fatherless because of what we call American exceptionalism. He is still alive, I must make it clear. But our relationship is really over. In this divided country, our situation is not uncommon. Anger over the election results last November seems to have cooled down, and homes and streets have begun to quieten again. However, the instability that former President Donald Trump sparked continues, as Americans choose sides in the longer war: “Who on Earth matters?”. Opposition between the two factions One faction thinks it is right to worry about others, who are different from them, and for those they need to protect. The other side also claims to be right in worrying about themselves, their like-minded people, and even those they see as needing protection. Exceptionalism is a deeply rooted belief in America. We Americans have always believed that we are better than others. God, the universe, the gods – all supernatural powers that bless humanity – have given Americans a special freedom. Even now, in the middle of summer 2021, we can decide whether we want to believe in the existence of a global pandemic, and if we want to participate in controlling the spread of the coronavirus. While many Americans have to endure starvation, poverty or experience fear and loss because of the Covid-19 pandemic; On the contrary, millions of other Americans still believe that tragedy will never come. Those experiencing the pain of Covid-19, or those who have witnessed others go hungry or lose friends and family forever, believe that we are all in a very difficult situation. We’re just fine until everyone else is safe. Often, the only difference between these groups of people is the news channel they watch, and how that channel covers science or conspiracy theories. In a chaotic world where hundreds of millions of people are begging for a vaccine, this country is throwing away thousands of doses a day because Americans – in so many places – refuse to get vaccinated before the vaccine expires. My father is one of them. Influence from news sources During the pandemic, while we were following the government’s lockdown and social distancing requirements, I didn’t get a chance to visit him. But now, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again. I, you and everyone around will not be safe if you do not get vaccinated. I myself do not know how long he will hold out to witness this situation. My dad and I both spent a lot of time reading news during the pandemic, from different sources, of course. To be honest, I am proud to have opened up and changed my mind about SARS-CoV-2 and the threat to humanity since it was discovered. Every day, I try to stay up to date with the latest epidemiological information and public health recommendations. I’m the type of American who believes my sources are trustworthy. As a nurse, I believe I am knowledgeable enough to read published medical studies and draw my own conclusions. I’m on the side of science. On the contrary, my father is also very proud because he follows the news every night, reads and shares articles he finds online, and is careful with the advice he receives. He is the type of American who believes that Fox News is the only news channel that tells the truth, even if they are influenced by other news sources, by big corporations and the “bad guys” of the Democratic Party in power. in Washington, DC He was the kind of American who taught himself enough to understand what was going on in the world, to know who to believe. But he chose to believe the seemingly secret information his friends shared on Facebook about the conspiracy of scientists and the government. He read an article saying that hundreds of people died from vaccination, so now he claims to never vaccinate. Not one of his acquaintances has died from Covid-19. As a white middle-class man with a military pension and lifelong medical care for veterans, he never had to fear poverty, disease, loss, or disease. To him, the threat posed by the coronavirus is nothing more than the exaggeration of the press and propaganda apparatus. In a country house with a beautiful lawn and large backyard, is it wrong for you to hold fast to American exceptionalism, even if it causes your relationship with your son to fall apart? The son you believe he is the victim of corona virus conspiracies? Lots of other people don’t have the privilege of choosing like my dad. Millions of Americans are grieving the loss of someone they love, a job, and what we once called “normal”. They are fighting every day for their lives, while those around them angrily protest against the restrictions, even if it is to protect public health. Each person chooses to listen to a separate news channel, so the way they suffer is also very different. The influence of paranoid conspiracy theories My best friend, a wonderful couple, belongs to a group of Americans convinced that free public education is a tool of government propaganda and oppression. So they let the kids learn at home. When some people start to believe in paranoid conspiracy theories and let it affect children, it’s hard to tell them to give up their beliefs. There is a very small gap between homeschooling and believing in untested medical methods. It’s like believing in the magical qualities of crystals or some type of oil with herbal extracts that can heal diseases. And so, the road from believing in an untested cure to becoming an anti-vaccine is also very short. I wonder when those kind people are trapped in the trap of unscientific information and far from reality, do they ever question whether the news they receive every day can be trusted or not? Such is the situation of my friends. They are neither white nor financially stable, their jobs are difficult during the pandemic, and they know people who have lost loved ones to Covid-19. They do not have the privilege of sitting on the lawn mower in their front yard while waiting for the inconvenience of the blockade to end. They are forced to look for other sources of information and monitor the spread of the virus and listen to warnings about the disease. They surreptitiously and shamefully vaccinate themselves and their children. A discreet wife told me this secret. She also talks about how dozens of parents share supporting information and materials in homeschooling advocacy groups. They talk non-stop about the threat vaccines pose to children, echoing conspiracy theories about the dangers of masks and social distancing. She confided in me about the feeling of letting people down when she got vaccinated. American exceptionalism gives people the belief that they can avoid the difficulties others face. White and affluent parents believe they can “escape” the infection, but not everyone can. Definitely not my friends. When comparing two streams of information, what will they believe? Only fools believe in science without proof, and with the expectation that truth cannot be false. Science changes when new research is published. News channels are gaining a reputation for distinguishing between bad science and good science, and then they deliver news to readers who are increasingly confused about what is good and bad. Freedom goes too? “Why?” – some people may ask – “Can I believe what I hear, only to hear something completely different after a few months? Should I believe something dangerous is happening when no one I know is suffering?” It was my father, who read the news about the racist cases he had never heard of, and then deduced that the broadcaster would be full of lies to advance his own policy purposes. It was my friends who heard the online community say the truth was nothing compared to what their families went through. American pride is shaken when many cannot distinguish between science and conspiracy theory. And they are afraid. So I lost my dad to American exceptionalism. During the pandemic, I couldn’t see him. With an underlying medical condition, I am at high risk of death if I contract Covid-19. I could not speak to him without often ending in a heated argument. “Why doesn’t the other person come to his senses when he falls into conspiracies?” – Each of us asked ourselves the same. Why do some people believe that they are special, blessed by God, the universe, the gods? Just because something bad hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean it never will. We Americans are free to decide whether or not to believe in the existence of a global pandemic; as well as believing it affects all of us; Or do we participate in preventing deaths by simply getting two shots and wearing masks in public? We are free to decide who on Earth matters while expired, unopened vaccines are rejected across the country. I often wonder, do we have too much freedom?

Rajni Gill woke up with a mild fever in mid-April, the first sign that she had Covid-19. Within a few days, she had difficulty breathing and was nearly unconscious at the hospital. Desperate to be unable to arrange for Gill’s plasma treatment, her sister posted a plea on social media: “I am looking for a plasma donor for the sister who is hospitalized in Noida. She is blood type B and 43 years old “. Fortunately, the message quickly spread on Twitter and appeared on the phone of Mr. Srinivas BV, an opposition politician in nearby Delhi. He claimed to be a voluntary blood donor and went to help this Covid-19 patient. Internet cries for help spread “like wildfire” India’s health care system has been on the brink of collapse as the country records a record increase every day. Desperate, relatives and friends of the infected people have to send messages for help on social networks. Thousands of people are dying from Covid-19 in India every day. Photo: New York Times. Some people need medical oxygen, which is almost impossible to find in the capital, Delhi. Others are on the hunt for high-priced drugs on the black market, or extremely scarce ventilators. And many of those pleas received a response. The prayers for help reached all walks of life in India, from engineers, lawyers, NGO workers, workers, politicians, doctors and even tuk drivers- tuk. Online networks to help victims of Covid-19 are formed in many of the most remote places. Mr. Srinivas, 38 years old, who donated blood to patient Covid-19 in this story is also among these. As chairman of the youth union of the opposition Indian Congress Party, in early 2020, when the first pandemic struck and India had to blockade, Mr. Srinivas summoned the young volunteers. All over the country distributes food to trapped migrants along with more than 10 million masks. Srinivas said calls for help on social media began to spread “like wildfire”. So he created the hashtag #SOSIYC so that everyone could connect with his Indian Youth Congress. How online networks work India’s online help networks rely on tools and algorithms commonly used in social media marketing. Families of victims will tag with large followers to amplify their message. Meanwhile, volunteer organizers use keywords to filter requests. Abhishek Murarka, who works in finance in Mumbai, decided he needed to do more than share his Twitter posts. He began searching for “verified”, “confirmed” and “available” on Twitter to follow potential supporters like Mr. Srinivas’s team. He posted an 84-second video explaining his tricks so others can use. Hundreds of miles away, 20-year-old Praveen Mishra studied Murarka’s way and applied his own filters to search for hospital beds, oxygen and medicine. He was able to give a special medicine to a patient in Delhi after confirming that it was available in Hyderabad. Some people are even exploiting resources around the world. Nikhil Jois and his team checked and contacted charities providing oxygen, food and tampons. He shortened the list to just over a dozen organizations, then asked companies in India to stick the list on their apps or websites so that Indians could easily access it. help. “The best part of social media is that you trust strangers,” said Jois. Nikhil Jois checked aid organizations and called for donations to victims of Covid-19. Photo: Nikhil Jois. Social media is the only way to seek help However, putting your trust in social media isn’t always a good idea. Several well-known accounts offer shoddy or exorbitant prices to desperate patients. Even joking and deceiving vulnerable people can cause many conflicts of hatred. But with India in crisis and moving not a safe option, social media is the only way for some people to seek help. Aditya Jain, who lives in the capital Delhi, recently issued a call on Twitter. He felt helpless because his aunt and uncle, who lived about 200 km away in Agra, were struggling over a blockade. His aunt has spinal disease, and his uncle, a diabetic, is on dialysis every week. Unable to go out, they only ate one meal a day. They are unable to take care of themselves and cannot even bathe themselves. Through LinkedIn, he found an organization that caters to seniors and filled out a form, providing their names and locations. The next morning, the volunteers showed up in front of his aunt’s house with breakfast and adult diapers. “Social media is like a gift from heaven to us,” said Jain emotionally. But not everyone is as lucky as Jain and Miss Gill. Mr. Srinivas said his organization receives at least 10,000 messages on Twitter every day. However, for every 100 requests, he can usually only help from 30 to 40 people due to lack of manpower and material resources. A volunteer teaches a family member how to use an oxygen tank. Photo: Srinivas BV Ms. Mahua Ray Chaudhuri used to “frantically” tag Mr. Srinivas while searching for oxygen for her ailing father. His team found some, but that was not enough: There were no more ICU beds for patients in the hospital. “At least I could find oxygen for my dad, and he didn’t die of suffocation,” Ms. Chaudhuri said. “This help from these strangers on Twitter is like a relief to our pandemic mind and soul.” The chaplain’s account of the funeral for 150 Covid-19 patients before cremation Every day, Hindu cleric RamKaran Mishra performs a funeral for about 150 people who have died from Covid-19 at the Ghazipur crematory facility east of New Delhi, India.

As India suffers from the world’s worst corona virus crisis, our New Delhi chiefs describe the fear of living in the midst of a pandemic spreading at large scale and speed. so. The crematoriums piled up the bodies, as if a war had just happened. Fire burns day and night. Many places held mass cremations, with dozens of people at the same time. And, at night, in some areas of New Delhi, the sky was blazing with flames. The sick person, without a bed, must lie down on the ground. Photo: New York Times. I waited for my turn to become infected Sickness and death were everywhere. Dozens of homes in my neighborhood have people infected. One of my colleagues is sick. My son’s teacher is also sick. The neighbor is two houses on the right side: Um. The two houses on the left: Um. “I don’t know what kind of illness I have,” said a good friend of mine who was in the hospital. “Just taking a breath and you will …”, his voice fades, unable to finish the sentence because he is too tired. He barely has a decent bed. And the medicine that the doctor prescribed for him is not in India. I was sitting in my house waiting for my turn to get sick. That is the feeling it is in New Delhi, as the world’s worst Covid-19 crisis is happening all around us. It’s out there, I’m here, and I feel as if it’s only a matter of time before I get sick. India is recording more infections every day, sometimes up to 350,000, more than any other country since the beginning of the pandemic, and that’s just the official numbers. Most experts believe that this number is lower than reality. The crematorium was overloaded, many bodies were waiting for their turn. Photo: New York Times. New Delhi, the vast capital of India’s 20 million people, is suffering from a huge spurt. A few days ago, the positive rate reached a staggering 36%. This means that more than a third of people tested are infected. A month ago, this figure was less than 3%. The disease spread so quickly that hospitals were completely flooded with sick people. Thousands of people were turned away. Medicine is exhausted. The same goes for lifesaving oxygen. Patients are trapped in long, tangled lines at the hospital gate or at home. They were gasping for breath, literally. Although New Delhi was blocked, the epidemic was still raging. Doctors across this city and some of Delhi’s top politicians are giving desperate SOS calls, both on social media and on TV, to beg for oxygen, medicine, and help. . It was as if war had just happened in India Experts have always warned that Covid-19 could devastate India completely. The country is vast with about 1.4 billion people, densely populated, and in many places, its inhabitants are still very poor. What we are witnessing is very different from last year, in the first wave of India. Then there is the fear of the unknown. Now we know. We know the overall disease, its size, its speed. We know how frightening this second wave is, it hits everyone at once. The outdoor collective cremation ground is constantly red and fiery. Photo: New York Times. What we feared in the first wave of last year is now coming to the fore: the disruption, the fall, the realization that so many people will die. As a foreign reporter for nearly 20 years, I traveled around war zones, was kidnapped in Iraq and sent to jail in many places. But this pandemic is worrisome in another way. There is no way to know if I, my wife, and two children are among those with mild illness and then recover well, or if we will be exhausted. And if we get really sick, where do we go? The intensive care areas are full. The entrance to many hospitals has been closed. A new strain here has a “double mutation” that can cause a lot of harm. Science has yet to delve into it, but as far as we know, one mutation makes the virus more contagious, and the other makes it partially resistant to the vaccine. Doctors are quite scared. I talked to a few people and they said that I had the vaccine twice but still got very sick. A Covid-19 patient is waiting to be hospitalized in South Delhi, April 24. Photo: New York Times. So what can we do? Personally, I try to stay optimistic, believing it to be one of the best immune system boosters. However, in reality, I find myself lazily walking indoors, cooking for the children in a lethargic state, feeling like both my mind and body are dough like wet powder. I’m afraid of checking my phone because I miss a text message telling my other friend that my friend is seriously ill, or worse. I am sure millions of people feel the same way. I began to visualize the symptoms: Did I have a sore throat? What is that headache? Is my condition worse today than yesterday? A part of where I live, South Delhi, is now blocked. Like many other places, we had a strict blockade last year. But now, the doctors here are warning us that the virus is more contagious and we have a lot less chance of getting help than the last wave. Therefore, many of us are frightened when we step outside, as if there is poison in the air and everyone is afraid of breathing. No one wears a mask, not even the police Delhi is plunged into hardships and dangers, but the situation is still getting worse. Epidemiologists say the number will continue to grow, possibly up to 500,000 new infections per day nationwide, and up to one million Indians will die from Covid-19 until August. It should not be like this. India was anti-epidemic well up until a few weeks ago, at least on the surface. The country closed its doors, experienced the first wave, then reopened. The mortality rate here is very low (at least according to official statistics). Last winter, life almost returned to normal. I was out for the news in January and February, driving through towns in Central India. Nobody – I mean, no one, not even the police – wear a mask. This is as if the country is telling itself: “It’s okay, we have it under control”, despite the wave of a second wave. But now, not many people dare to think like that anymore. Relatives of a Covid-19 victim were performing a religious ceremony during the funeral on April 24. Photo: New York Times. Many in India are also upset with the speed of the vaccination campaign. Less than 10% of the population has received one dose, and only 1.6% are fully vaccinated, even though India is producing two vaccines. “Catastrophic catastrophe” Here, as elsewhere, the rich are less affected by a crisis. But this time it was different. A friend of mine, well connected, asked all the people he knew to help his friend, a severe Covid-19 patient. His friend is dead. No one can help him in hospital. The patient is paralyzed. “I tried everything to get him a bed, but we couldn’t. Everything is chaotic, ”my friend said, his emotions still intact. “This is a disaster. This is murder ”. Every day, I ventured out to buy food because no one delivered it. I wear two masks completely and stay as far away from others as possible. Almost every day passed, a family of 4 of us all withered from inside. We try to play together, try not to talk about the people who just got sick, or the people running around town looking for help, and they probably won’t find it. Sometimes we just sat quietly in the living room, looking out at the sweet figs and palms. Through the open window, on long, hot, quiet afternoons, we can only hear two languages: the sound of an ambulance. And birds. ‘The dead cannot leave peacefully in New Delhi either’ India is suffering from a serious shortage of medical equipment and oxygen in the context of a rapidly increasing number of Covid-19 cases. The patient’s family had to wait languidly for the cremation.