The variant of Covid -19 that we are battling with has made us all thoroughly confused. And the kinds of misinformation that is growing is not helping.

Covid-19 is dangerous. Its many variants are yet to be understood—perhaps we never will.

Bhutan has managed the pandemic very well, but the cases are rising, helplessly. We are all to blame in this game because we know so little about the nature of the disease.

Mass testing in the core areas are giving us some picture of the reality; the people are asking why the lockdown should be such a pain. Lockdown is a pain when there is no cooperation between the government and the people. Why is this happening in Bhutan, a country that has so far assailed the biggest of dangers?




Poor service quality is one thing, information sharing is another. People are already doubting as to whether information that the health ministry lets out are true. The ministry had to even clarify how certain information must go through tight processes.

Now the time for booster shots have come and there is a new problem. The centres are overwhelmed. The health ministry has to urge people to come for test repeatedly, and now, when it is a booster shot, people are showing up in overwhelming numbers.

The people, largely, are still misinformed. Social media contents are influencing the decision of our people as to whether they should undergo tests or take a shot in the arm for future safety. What this shows is the lack of awareness among the people or failure on the part of organisations and agencies responsible to educate the people.

But we must deal with the new problem that we have created for ourselves. That means giving people time enough to get the booster shot. That could even mean possible extension of booster shot time. But there must be stringent regulation of how many people come for the shot in a day at one centre.




There is still a very heavy risk to handle with.

At the same time, we must also have the records of who and how many people have come for test. That will give us a clear picture of what is working and what is not in our communities in this massive effort to keep the virus at bay,

Booster shot and mass testing must go on at the same time. But we must not forget the time-tested protocols that have saved millions of lives. Booster shots are good only as long as we conscientiously keep the virus at a far distance.