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Who will produce the vaccine?

At the moment this is being written a wildfire of unbelievable magnitude is sweeping through a large part of California with thousands of the country’s fireman seeming helpless to stop it, as it rages through forests and other areas mercilessly. And, according to the news reports on it, some of them were caused, not accidentally in homes or factories, but by lightning strikes! This seems to prove again that when Nature causes calamities or incidents like this wildfire in California, man is practically helpless in controlling or stopping it!

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The report on it says that there were at least 10,000 lightning strikes and thunderstorms but there was no rain at all that could have helped areas affected to control it. Despite aid from firefighters from other places, the fire was still eating up a large part of the area, and seemed unquenchable. It is also traveling very fast so that even residents of Louisiana have been ordered to start mandatory evacuation. One can just imagine the panic and horror of residents living there!

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So far, I have not gotten news about how the Coronavirus has affected those areas, and if it has, it must be a double problem for the people there. Now it is not only disease that is troubling the world, but also calamities. What sins has mankind committed that has earned this generation the penalty of going through so many problems, not only from natural calamities but also of health and well-being? But if we have to find something to be thankful for, it should be the fact that, at least, there are no wars going on now that could further decimate world population!

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But I guess some countries have other concerns so that natural calamities and other problems are not the priority on their minds. Like the United States, for instance, that is now embroiled in their coming election where they have to choose between a challenger and the incumbent, who seems to be having a hard time convincing the people to return him to office for another term. But his problem seems to be worsening with even his own kin revealing negative things against him that could further turn off voters in the polls due in less than three months.

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We are talking about America’s Donald Trump who seems to be disliked even by his own relatives. His sister named Mary seems to have neither affection or respect for her brother Donald. Lately a video said to be “Secretly recorded” has been released. Mary apparently has no love lost for her “kuya” or “manong”, because in the video she accuses him of lying, twisting things and of “having no principles”, and “not fit to be president.” Oh, Mary! How can you be so contrary?

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But another distressing piece of news in our own country is that cases of tuberculosis have been rising in some parts like Regions 3 and 4 and in the National Capital Region. What is worse is that the symptoms have often been taken for those of the COVID 19, so this could cause – is there such a thing as “mistreatment?” But I thought TB had virtually been conquered already with vaccines and cures based on antibiotics that have cured many patients in recent years.

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First there was a rumor that Russia’s head man, Vladimir Putin, was in coma and suspicions were that he had been poisoned. Then came a report that Chief of Staff Navalny was conflined in a hospital in Berlin and the suspicion was that he was a victim of poisoning. Funny, but is such a method still being used today? That seems to be a very primitive one, that we heard or learned about in literature studies and classics like Romeo and Juliet. Now it is world leaders who are resorting to it.

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In Bacolod City, we have been warned that a lockdown will be implemented by the weekend. That means we have to quarantine ourselves during that period, but what about people like us who have to produce this newspaper everyday and can only do the printing at night? I hope there will be some exceptions, otherwise our readers will be able to get their morning news late in the afternoon. Oh, what disruptions in people’s lives this virus that China has imported worldwide brought us all. A news item said a vaccine may be available against the COVID by yearnend. But it was not specified which country is producing it. Russia? China? Or will we surprise everyone with a Filipino inventing it?

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