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We breathed a collective sigh of relief last month when all remaining Covid restrictions were lifted and people caught a glimpse of normal at last. And with the mask mandate dropping at the same time, this relief was actually visible as people continued life minus the masks.
For weeks prior to the “big day” there was much discussion about when and how to lift restrictions, whether they would be phased out over time and whether the mask mandates would lift at the same time as other restrictions. There was surprise then when it was announced that it would all happen at once, literally overnight.
While our case numbers were high at about 8,000-10,000 a day, hospitalisations and ICU numbers were on the decline and it was clear that Omicron was not having the same impact on public health as other variants. Our booster programme had been a resounding success and our vaccine wall was strong. What better time to lift restrictions?
There was one element that was discussed more than others at that time, and that was the mask mandate. The questions being asked were around timing. Was it the right time to lift the mandate? Should we wait another month? Was mask wearing really a restriction at all?
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Too early
My own view was that it was too early, and that keeping it in place for longer wasn’t necessarily a restriction but more the following of public health advice, and we were all used to doing it. Many shared this view, but many did not and it is a conversation that has continued for the past month since the mandate was lifted. Case numbers stayed steady for the first few weeks of March but then in the past week, our daily case numbers have almost doubled, our hospitalisations are on the increase, Covid is surging, and now we are asking, how did we get back here again?
Well, take a look around and you’ll see what’s happening here in Ireland is no different from Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and the UK who have taken a similar road to us in recent weeks and dropped all restrictions and mask mandates. All across Europe the case numbers are climbing again. The current surge is a combination of restrictions being lifted, mask mandates being dispensed with, along with the recent dominance of the BA.2 subvariant. This is a close relative of the Omicron BA.1 subvariant that ruined yet another Christmas for most of us, but it’s still Omicron.
BA.2 is more transmissible again than the BA.1 strain, hence the sharp increase in case numbers. Unfortunately, the timing of this subvariant becoming dominant wasn’t exactly great and it’s taking huge advantage of our lack of restrictions and mask wearing. These two factors are now helping this surge on its merry way. There’s no evidence that BA.2 is causing more severe disease than BA.1 which is great news, so should we even be concerned?
Firstly, let’s look at whether it’s having an impact. Well, there’s a lot of people with Covid at the moment but, thankfully, in the main, the illness is mild. But our healthcare system is suffering. There are a lot of staff not able to attend work due to Covid and the number of people in hospital with Covid is the highest it has been since February 2021. This means anyone who needs medical attention is affected and anyone who works in the healthcare sector is under severe pressure.
It’s not just about patients with Covid, it’s the knock-on effects of a pressured healthcare system on patients with other illnesses; cancer, mental health issues, cardio patients and many more. These are patients who have already suffered huge disruption to their treatment during the past two years, in a healthcare system somewhat on hold dealing with Covid.
Long Covid
There is also the issue of long Covid to consider. We are only beginning to understand the full extent of the damage this virus can cause and so we should still be doing what we can to avoid catching it and passing it on. The WHO is constantly reminding us all of that. So, is there anything we can do or even should do to help this situation? I would say yes and yes.
It’s clear that we have come far enough that we do not need to be considering restrictions. There are no calls to go backwards – we are highly vaccinated and, therefore, most of us will experience only mild illness.
But what about mask wearing? This has been part of a suite of public health measures we’ve used to reduce the risk of Covid. Last month when the mask mandate was lifted, the legal requirement for wearing a mask was gone, but the “need” for mask wearing never left – we were at an average of 10,000 cases a day, Covid was very much present in the community and the risk remained.
But somewhere along the line the action of dispensing with the mandate sent a message to the public that they no longer “needed” to wear a mask, but maybe consider it on public transport. In fairness to the public, they have responded to public health advice exceptionally well so it has been no surprise that mask wearing is now extremely low.
So what about simply altering the public health advice now to provide a clear message to the public that Covid is surging and, in order to reduce risk, everyone is being asked to wear a mask in indoor settings until the surge passes? This will help reduce the risk of the spread of the virus and take some pressure off the healthcare system and support those who need access to this healthcare.
This is not a call for a mask mandate, this is not a request to implement restrictions, it’s about providing a clear message for the public and a request to respond to the current surge. We as a country have always been exceptional at altering our behaviour to protect each other during this pandemic, we have obeyed the most severe of restrictions and lockdowns to protect each other and we saved lives. We need to don our masks to protect each other again. We can’t do nothing, we need to respond.
Prof Christine Loscher, professor of immunology, Faculty of Science and Health, DCU