As we transition from our collective anxiety and panic about the COVID-19 pandemic, to operating in a space in which the disease becomes part of the endemic challenges we must live with, it will become more difficult for the vulnerable in our society.
Our vulnerable comprises about half our citizens, given the number of people who are living with non-communicable diseases. But added to that group are our seniors, those who live in poverty, and our physically and mentally challenged.
This population profile is not something to be proud of, but it is the reality with which we must live. For the foreseeable future, there is little to suggest that the state of public health is likely to improve significantly unless there is a universal commitment by citizens to radically change their lifestyles.
Also, we do not anticipate a considerable dent in the situation unless Government too is prepared to invest significant sums in health promotion, and make much greater provisioning for healthcare and community social services.
We are already apportioning a sizeable percentage of our overall national budget to these areas. Given the current economic challenges and the need to recover ground lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the kinds of reforms we have committed ourselves to under the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) programme, spending in these areas is likely to be constricted.
Transitioning to the post-pandemic existence will require increased personal responsibility and self-care.
We do not discourage the acquisition of material possessions, but we anticipate that the new indicators and measures of “wealth” will not necessarily be in the size of our homes or cars but in the time and money we are prepared to spend on preventative care, health and fitness, attention to our mental wellbeing, and our environment .
Those of us who have survived the past two years have become more reflective about what is really important. We ascribe more value to things such as friendships, relationships, our children, our parents, being able to enjoy simple pleasures.
The pandemic has taught us many lessons. Having been stalked by death and illness, many of us are placing less priority on acquiring things and greater attention on our quality of life.
Some of us have given more thought to possibly down-sizing from that two-storey house that drains our monthly earnings in mortgage payments and maintenance. Our satisfaction comes with having money to spend on dinners with loved ones, family vacations, weekend hikes in the country-side and learning new do-it-yourself skills.
So, while we are excited to return our lives to some measure of normalcy with the relaxation of mask wearing rules, we must give thought to the fact that a significant portion of our population falls into the category of vulnerable because of their health or financial status.
As noted by family physician Dr Adrian Lorde, “Everyone needs to assess their own personal situation and make a sensible decision. We have a high incidence of NCDs in Barbados, and with the large number of cases we still have in Barbados, I would recommend to the elderly to continue to wear their masks in public places.”
The goodly doctor also reminds us of something the average citizen has already deduced. That the COVID-19 infection numbers being reported officially, “are really not the true numbers”.
He adds: “Several persons are either not getting tested because they don’t want to be isolated, or because they are doing rapid tests at home and not isolating at all. That is very dangerous, and it could be also contributing to the number of deaths we have been having.”
It is going to be incumbent that in our planning at the national, household, and individual levels, that we account for the possible impact of this disease and others that may be on the horizon.
