When the WHO declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global public health emergency, I looked blankly at the headlines with a mixed set of emotions. My initial reaction of relief was soon followed by a sense of sadness thinking of all that has transpired during the past year. I was disappointed that there wasn’t a seemingly deserved set of fireworks to mark a triumph and then an ongoing trepidation that such a statement would be universally interpreted as the green light to resume business as usual. Whilst the transition from the clutches of a pandemic to a more manageable state is welcomed, we must remain vigilant. It’s a tough feat, but we must continue to remind patients that although we are tired, COVID is not, and it still poses a real threat. 

Ongoing vaccinations are essential for our patients most at risk. Even if the world has been officially granted parole from public health restrictions, COVID still represents a real threat to some of our patients.

Sigh…Yes, it’s “another shot, doc” and yes, “it will like be another shot in the future.”

Patient indifference is mounting and not simply as a result of the WHO declaration. The reality is that we cannot truly track the incidence of COVID cases as patients are not testing and/or not reporting positive infections. Hospitalization statistics no longer make news headlines, thus falsely painting a picture that we are “in the clear” whereas in reality, hospitalizations for older and vulnerable are still significantly higher now than they were during the end of the delta wave in the summer of 2021.