A COVID theme park dedicated to the pandemic shows odd sculptures of giant viruses and a creepy clock counting down the stages of response.
The Tuyen Lam Lake National Tourist Complex in Da Lat, Vietnam, stands out as the world’s pioneer amusement park to showcase imposing and eerie sculptures resembling deadly diseases.
In striking images captured at the Covid-themed park, there are depictions of menacing caricatures of pathogens making frightening expressions, alongside scenes symbolizing the global triumph over the disease, such as people sitting on top of it.
A timeline clock of the pandemic is also seen, marking the different stages it took, from mask wearing to vaccination programmes.
The perverse park features many different areas, including a “Covid 19 Park” and what seems to be a Covid jail.
A few sculptures convey metaphorical messages, like one featuring oversized hands appearing to be ensnared by what resembles the virus itself.
What are the different Covid variants in the UK?
SINCE the Covid pandemic erupted last year, there have been various different variants of the SARS-Cov-2 virus detected across the world.
As the virus replicates inside human cells it occasionally makes small copying errors or mutations.
If enough distinct mutations are made and passed on, the result can be new variants.
While scientists say they are normal and were expected, some are more concerning than others. That’s because some mutations – like the E484K mutation – can make vaccines less effective. The mutation affects the spike protein, the bit of the virus that allows it to bind to human cells and infect them.
Here we outline the different Covid variants that have so far been detected in the UK:
- The original Covid virus – this is the variant that was widely circulating in 2020
- The Kent variant (B.1.1.7) – this became the dominant version of the virus just before Christmas
- The South African variant (B.1.351) – this is a variant that cropped up in South Africa and has now been traced in the UK – both in people who have and haven’t travelled to the country. It features the E484K mutation which helps the virus evade vaccines
- The Bristol variant (VOC 202102/02) – this developed from the Kent strain, and now (unlike the dominant Kent strain) features the E484K mutation, helping it escape vaccines too
- The Liverpool variant – this developed from the original Covid virus, and (unlike the original) features the E484K mutation.
- The B.1.525 variant – first detected in Nigeria it has emerged in 10 countries including the UK, and features the E484K mutation
Ella Ribak, 29, gave a first-hand account of visiting the bizarre attraction in 2022, recalling: “Me and the other travellers couldn’t stop laughing and we kept looking around to see if any Vietnamese people found it funny as well, but they all seemed pretty serious.
“The clock at the start made it all feel pretty dystopian, and the fact all the sculptures were shrouded in trees.
“But then when you turned a corner and saw a human-size pathogen with googly eyes on it locked in a jail, it just becomes funny.
“Obviously it touches on a sensitive topic for some people, but the clay sculptures seemed so jokey that it’s hard to tell.
“Ultimately we had a great time, even if we didn’t take it as it was meant.”
There’s more to enjoy than just the sculptures, however.
There are rides to go on too, and running waterfalls if you want to take a moment to reflect on the experience.
Stunned social media users quickly took to the comments to poke fun at the concept.
“Idea: This should have a fountain with a hand sanitiser statue”, one person joked in the video’s comments. “This is gonna be soooo surreal in like 50 years”, another added.
The park opened in 2012, according to reports, which also confirm that this Vietnamese fairground is still open and running.
