Fully Embracing My Introvert

Drawn by Roz Chast,
published in The New Yorker on 20 January, 2014.

Are you tired? I am. The New York Times writer Adam Grant termed it "languishing". The best word to sum up how many feel, is this lovely one-syllable Singlish word, 'SIAN'. Pronounced 'See-Ian', or drag it out to 'Seeeee-Iannnn'. Sian encapsulates feelings of frustration, blah, helplessness and ennui all into one word. I'm sian every day. Aren't you? I'm not depressed, or burnt out. But I'm done with trying to 'transcend languishing'. Encouraging words or chirpy voices sometimes become toxic positivity.

If I had a distinct lack of enthusiasm for social events or any type of gatherings pre-pandemic, I now have a total apathy and even distaste towards it. I don't feel any emotional baggage when I outright reject invitations from acquaintances (few and far by now). I'm also not keen to join in gatherings hosted by good friends that include more than two people whom I don't know or are only mildly acquainted with. Thankfully work projects don't require me to 'socialize' or do 'networking'. Ha. I'm just not ready to deal with so many people. There're ‘psychic risks’ to that. 

If I'm in this mood/funk or whatever, it's best that I don't see people — I would neither be capable of making optimistic conversation nor send out good vibes. I'm no longer equipped with social skills to make small talk, and frankly, neither am I very interested to get to know people or know their lives. I'm so done with schmoozing. I'm also very meh about many things. MEHHHH. I AM EMBRACING MY INTROVERT COMPLETELY. This is it. Pandemic fatigue has finally hit me.  

Drawn by Teresa Burns Parkhurst,
published in The New Yorker on August 27, 2018.

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the Delta variant of COVID-19 is becoming globally dominant because of its high transmissibility and its ability to replicate via many unvaccinated hosts. THEN, there's this 'Delta Plus' making its presence known. Bah! New variants of COVID-19 are going to appear, and if it's not this strain, in a few years, a new form of the coronavirus will pop up. If we have no vaccines and insufficient science and technology to manage it, we're all fucked again. The price of decimating Mother Nature and well, eating all the animals. This is apocalypse. 

Pandemic lockdowns and restrictions are necessary, AND TIRESOME. It has been 1.5 years and counting. COVID-19 IS ENDEMIC ALREADY LAH. At this rate, we'll be in this flux for the next three years if the big pharma don't make some more effective vaccines. As of last week, slightly over 50% of our population (>2.8 million) has taken the first doses of the vaccine. About 36% (~ 2 million) are fully vaccinated. That's not enough. We need a fully vaccinated rate of 70% in order to function. The government has majorly revved up the pace of vaccination, hoping to have two-thirds of the population vaccinated by early August.

On 19 June, 2021, our Health Minister assured us that we wouldn't need to get back into a lockdown Circuit Breaker again, now that we have built sufficient defences against the variants. But we would need this to feel like bronchitis or a common flu before borders can fully open. Our risk-averse pandemic committee finally set out a broad roadmap (they finally announced it yesterday) to deal with this like any other endemic disease. We need that. All of us who have cushy jobs might not have a job in a year or two if this drudgery continues. 

More than 4.8 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH). More than 2.8 million people have received the first dose, 2 million of which have received their second dose. 

Mr Ong said he was "happy" with the update, though he expressed the need to "push it up further".

He noted that there was "increasing consensus" among experts that Covid-19 will likely be endemic. "Fortunately, we have built up our capabilities over the past year. We can now test, contact trace and isolate very quickly. We have also vaccinated a good part of our population."

"With these defences in place, I believe we are able to put the circuit breaker as a response behind us, and able to keep most businesses open, carry on with our daily lives," he said.

However, "to go further" and keep F&B businesses and gyms open as well as resume travel, "our vaccination rate has to be higher", said Mr Ong.