IT was only this month that the World Health Organisation declared an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency, but you could be mistaken for thinking such a verdict arrived much earlier. In many circles, and indeed nations, it did - at least for those who found themselves fed up with the rigmarole associated with preventing the disease from spreading.
Unfortunately, though, attitudes offer little immune protection when the novel coronavirus comes knocking. The reality is that it remains a threat to the vulnerable in our communities even as many of us revert to a lifestyle that appeared a long way off during the lockdown years.
That is clear in the latest data, which in this region translates to the highest number of cases in hospital since January in what authorities are describing as a fifth Omicron wave. Hunter New England Health physician Dr David Durrheim said this week 83 people were in the district's hospitals with COVID but did note "it dropped way down between the waves, as low as 20 people."
These case numbers may sound low compared to the many thousands accrued during previous waves. But now that PCR testing requires a referral from a doctor and the requirements to undergo rapid antigen testing to partake in many activies have dwindled, there are potentially more undiagnosed cases in the community as well.
In a way, that's reflected in the district's lab detecting 13 per cent of all tests as positive cases. That number may be high, but there are likely less screening tests than when all and sundry feared they could contract the virus regardless of its severity.
While many of us may brush off our encounters with COVID, Dr Durrheim said aged care was bearing its brunt. The region is "sitting with 20 active aged-care outbreaks" with severity on par with previous waves. "People still die and we have 80 in hospital, but we do know the vaccines are providing good protection against severe disease," Dr Durrheim said.
"Probably the key message is if you haven't had a booster in the last six months, it's a jolly good idea because we're steaming into the next wave."
The global health emergency may be over, but COVID-19 remains with us. For the sake of the vulnerable, there are some precautions of that time that should stay out of lockdown. A simple commitment to hygiene and preventing the spread on behalf of those at most risk is certainly one of them.
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