After two years of lockdowns and curfews that threatened to cancel Christmas, there’s a noticeable buzz this holiday season.
And with good reason. We are all COVID-weary.
With many restrictions all but gone, more people are out and about reconnecting, dining, carolling and shopping in a bid to make it once again their most wonderful time of the year.
But while we may be moving on from COVID-19, the disease isn’t moving away.
Medical experts warn that celebrations without caution would be foolhardy; viruses take neither holidays nor naps.
The coronavirus still lurks and this time around, a highly contagious flu bug has already sickened scores of our relatives, co-workers and neighbours.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George told the country on Monday of the “double whammy” at large.
He said: “We have COVID-19 circulating and we also have the flu circulating. The flu virus has been typed, it is H3N2 that has been circulating and that has increased steeply within the last two months.”
With respect to COVID-19, Dr George noted: “On the good side, the hospitalization rate has remained low and of those few individuals who are hospitalized, they are having a mild form of illness. We unfortunately within the last seven days, had a single death and we continue to monitor hospitalization and death as a matrix to determine how severe infections are. We will work with the population.”
The latest COVID-19 update for November 26 to December 9 recorded 528 COVID cases from the 3,157 tests conducted, with one death and 18 people hospitalised.
But according to Dr George, with fewer numbers being tested, the true numbers may not be known.
The message is clear: it is better to be safe than sorry. Whether or not we want to hear it, we can’t afford to be reckless. One look at Europe and North America – sources of most international flights here – reveals concerning scenarios.
Sky News reported on Monday that coronavirus infections across the UK were estimated to have topped one million again, with cases rising in England for the first time since mid-October, according to official figures.
In the US, media outlets have described the current rise in COVID cases as one leg of what they have dubbed a “tridemic or a “tripledemic” – COVID-19, the flu and RSV that has mainly been affecting children.
China recently rolled back strict protocols even in the face of record infections.
There is no getting away from the fact that these illnesses will continue to bug us. Still, the microbes aren’t the greatest risk; it’s our failure to act responsibly that poses the greatest threat. Controlling the spread of the flu, the cold or COVID primarily rests with our willingness to take steps to protect ourselves and those around us.
We know that COVID-19 and the flu spread easily and affect all of us differently. They both present a serious risk for young children, the elderly and others with underlying medical conditions.
We have the arsenal to prevent the rampant spread of these viruses and further strain on our already burnt-out health care workers this holiday season.
The measures are simple.
With all viruses, good hand hygiene is critical: wash your hands and use hand sanitizer where necessary.
Wear masks in public spaces. For all viruses they remain a good defense.
Maintain safe physical distances and if you are sick, sneezing and coughing, see your medical doctor and stay home and rest.
And take the vaccines that are available free of cost – for both COVID and flu -from our polyclinics.
We all need to be careful to not let down our collective guard.
So by all means, let’s have a happy Christmas but not to the detriment of a prosperous and healthy 2023.
