[Choi Kyungpil's Book Column] The Small Virus Targeted by God's Arrow

"Humanity must find a compromise with this virus. However, until then, the revival of many is inevitable. The new pathogen has already taken root in the human world and will circulate by our side forever in some form. (p.66)"

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, scholars have steadily begun and presented discourses since last year, seeking answers on how humanity should live a changed life.

This book, titled "God's Arrow," shares that perspective, but what is noteworthy is that the author, both a medical doctor and a sociologist, asks about humanity's path in the aftermath of chaos.

The event of the emergence of COVID-19, which has thrown us into confusion since early 2020, was not the first time humanity experienced such a thing. We all had to face the deathly arrows shot by gods, much like the Trojan War in the "Iliad," and as of summer 2021, 4 million people have died.

Even after that, we have suffered not only the physical pain caused by the virus but also the reality of relying on sporadic inaccurate knowledge and false information, witnessing the darkness and bare face of our society.

The author clearly fact-checks and predicts the much-asked question of "life after the vaccine," while deeply examining biologically and socially the situation we have passed through from 2020 to the present, and looks into how humanity endured similar disasters in the past.

With a unique background as a medical doctor, sociologist, biologist, and public health expert, he diagnoses the pandemic from a very comprehensive perspective that only he can see.

He analyzes the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 to explain why, unlike previous novel viruses, it inevitably became a global catastrophe, and traces the spread process through genetic technology.

From the perspective of data science, he investigates how non-pharmaceutical interventions implemented by each country affected the containment of the epidemic spread. Such meticulous and detailed analysis of the causal relationships of the infectious disease goes beyond a mere factual record of COVID-19.

The author presents the global shock situation in an organized language before us and suggests the direction of thought for our society and its members to move forward.

Beyond the sporadic and fragmented knowledge we have encountered through the news, here lies the most essential knowledge filtered through academic disciplines such as medicine, sociology, genetics, and data science.

This is the only masterpiece that intellectually insighted the pandemic we experienced. Steven Pinker, a professor at Harvard, praised this book, saying, "To understand the virus that has completely changed the world and our lives, you must read this book. It is extremely important to us now."

Now, COVID-19 has become a target to overcome through vaccination and therapeutics.

Even if we successfully conclude this pandemic, fundamental measures we must handle still remain. Will we be better prepared next time? How deadly will the pathogen causing the next pandemic be? How soon will a new pandemic leaf?

We may be rehearsing for an even greater global disaster. This is why we must heed the author's suggestions regarding the necessity of international cooperation systems, cost-sharing issues among neighboring countries, respect for expert opinions based on science, and complex political factors.

Book columnist, Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters guest reporter Choi Kyung-pil

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.