"The first lesson from all that we have experienced is the predictability of the unpredictable. Then it is also true that, as a society, we had the ability to resist. However, no life is dispensable and the fatalities of the pandemic are our ultimate failure." The words are from the President of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Isabel Capeloa Gil, at the presentation of the book “Lições da Pandemia – Aprender com uma experiência limite” (Lessons from the Pandemic - Learning from a borderline experience), which took place on May 4, at the Católica headquarters.
"The primary lesson of the pandemic is, therefore, the capacity for resilience," said the President at the launch of the book, promoted by the Research Centre on Peoples and Cultures (CEPCEP), and coordinated by professors Américo Pereira and Fernando Ilharco.
"About the pandemic, much has been said and written, but not everything. Not least because pandemics are dynamic and go far beyond physiological virulence, being shaped by political priorities, cultural and religious values, and produce social and economic effects, added Isabel Capeloa Gil.
The book, which brings together 40 authors from areas as diverse as science, medicine, history, politics, economics, and social solidarity, is a reflection on the lessons learned from the SARS-COV-2 pandemic.
The different protagonists of this pandemic were asked to recount their experiences, reflect on the past, and propose a more prepared future. As a result, the book is organized into three sections: "Learning from the Past"; "Acting in the Present - lessons from the Fight against Covid 19"; and finally "Preparing the Future - prospective lessons for global human care".
One of the book's authors is the Navy Chief of Staff, Admiral Gouveia e Melo, who led the vaccination against Covid-19. During the launching of the book, he mentioned that the pandemic "was a surprise" initially undervalued, but "it wasn't only in Portugal". The admiral also pointed out that "this virus had everything to be defined as an enemy because although it was not an intelligent being, it was opportunistic in the way it infiltrated society."
Considering herself a "dissatisfied optimist", Ema Paulino, president of the National Association of Pharmacies, another of the authors of the work, said that "looking back, we see that it was possible to accelerate a series of processes", which she believes "will not be forgotten or disappear", taking into account that one of the central aspects of the fight against the pandemic was to realize that "we have to invest more in the population's literacy".
Remembering that " we reached 2020 completely unprepared and that in a few years, everything will be the same," Germano de Sousa, administrator and founder of the Germano de Sousa Group, assured that "this tranquillity is not going to last, and that's why we should take precautions so that we can avoid having to fix things later.
Ambassador António Monteiro, president of the Millennium BCP Foundation, was also present at the book launch. He justified the sponsorship of the work with the "importance of having a book that will make us reflect on the pandemic because we tend to forget crises after a while," adding that "there are worthwhile supports and this is one of them".
