In years to come, the corona virus will be thought to have originated in a town of that name by those Pakistanis who are virtually illiterate (those, for instance, who think that writers like me are enemy agents). Such people already believe that "tsunami" is a city in Japan which first experienced the quakes and high tidal waves. They are also convinced that the first man on the moon converted to Islam after he visited Egypt and heard the Muslim call to prayer (azaan).
The azaan itself has been modified in Kuwait, asking people to pray at home instead of going to mosques (where they're likely to catch the corona virus). Apparently this was the practice in the early days of Islam when people were asked to pray at home on rainy days.
Something happened the other day which should convince most fundamentalists that there is something wrong with their beliefs. The die-hard Tableeghi Jamaat chief first criticized Saudi Arabia and other countries for not allowing Friday prayers. Then he refused to call off the mass gathering of his misguided followers at Raiwind, saying that the time of death is fixed, etc etc. But apparently God didn't want the gathering to continue and cause people to fall sick. So He sent down heavy rains which made it impossible for the "faithful" to spend another night in the open. I doubt if the chief will ever realize that holding such gatherings many times a year is not liked by the Almighty.
I don't think this virus will run out soon. The way it multiplies it has the potential to kill millions. Even if a vaccine is developed, most Pakistanis will refuse to take it, thinking that they will become sterile (polio is still rampant in parts o the country for this very reason).
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