SaltWire E-Edition

Don’t give or get COVID-19 for Christmas

Things have not returned to the old normal that preceded the pandemic

BRIAN HODDER bdhodder@hotmail.com @Peiguardian Brian Hodder works in the field of mental health and is based in St. John's.

Now that December is here, people across this region will be getting ready for Christmas and all of the shopping, decorating and baking that goes along with the season.

This will be the third Christmas since the pandemic began and many people are looking forward to a return to how we celebrated this holiday in previous years, with all of the family and work get-togethers this entails.

With the lifting of the emergency orders that were imposed when the pandemic began, we are now free to congregate without the necessity of masking; whether it is wise to do so at this time is another thing altogether.

If we look back to just one year ago, it is amazing how much things have changed over the past year and how little concern many people now have about this virus and how we protect ourselves and one another against its impact. Around this time last year, the Omicron variant started to become dominant, which led to high rates of infection among the population, but with less severe symptoms.

With the majority of people vaccinated, we were later told that it was likely that most people would eventually get COVID-19 and now we would have to live with it. Some groups began to demand the lifting of mask and vaccination mandates, leading to the socalled Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa.

DEEPLY DIVIDED

When the protestors refused to leave, the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time to end the occupation and we have just witnessed the end of the six-week inquiry into this invocation, culminating in a sitting prime minister testifying before the inquiry.

Such events are virtually unprecedented in Canada and reflect just how deeply our society has been impacted by this pandemic.

Ironically, shortly after the protests cleared up, governments across the country lifted virtually all of the restrictions and we have entered a phase where public health leaders are strongly recommending the use of masks and vaccine boosters, though mandates are lifted.

We have almost no idea how many infections are occurring now, as home rapid testing has become widespread and is not being tracked by public health and deaths from COVID-19 are announced once a week with little media or public attention paid to these statistics. It almost feels like we have decided that, if we ignore the pandemic, it doesn't exist and we just go about our normal lives.

While this may make us feel better, we can't just ignore the potential risks that we face going into this Christmas season. If you have been out in the stores shopping, you will notice that very few people continue to wear masks, meaning that the risk of virus infection is higher in these crowded conditions.

MORE ILLNESS

The flu is back this season with a vengeance and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is spreading rapidly among our children, leading to major overcapacity at emergency rooms at our children's hospitals.

This triple-threat of viruses is happening at a time when restrictions have become suggestions and people are planning to gather together in large groups as we did before. This is a recipe for a strain on our health-care system that could rival anything that COVID-19 alone caused.

What has become apparent and what was actually the case previously is that the ultimate responsibility lies with us as citizens to make informed decisions about protecting our health and the health of those around us who may be vulnerable.

As evidenced by recent death statistics, we appear to have ignored the risk to vulnerable seniors and many of those who survived the first waves of COVID-19 are now succumbing to the latest variants.

While most of us may want to get back to a normal Christmas this year, we need to take into account that things have not returned to the old normal that preceded the pandemic. Just because we aren't being mandated to follow certain restrictions, especially masking, doesn't mean that we should ignore the measures that control the spread of all types of viruses.

Limiting the spread of disease is a gift we can give to ourselves and others around us this Christmas season.

OPINION

en-ca

2022-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-02T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281642489195573

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