Learning to live with Covid

As much as we all want it to disappear, Covid is still very much with us. Recent days have seen cases surge locally, with one in 25 people testing positive for Covid last week – that’s an increase from one in 65 last month.

It’s widely accepted that we are experiencing a wave in Covid, but this time around things are different. With new variants generally appearing milder, and vaccines helping to protect us, we aren’t seeing serious illness and hospitalisation in the manner we witnessed previously.

Normal life, to an extent, can continue. And for many of us at this time of year that includes jetting away for a week or two in the sun. It’s a luxury we’ve been denied for the last few years so this year’s holiday seems all the sweeter. However, as we’ve learned throughout this pandemic travel increases the risk of transmission, and this week the North’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Ian Young has issued some advice for anyone looking forward to a trip abroad.

He has urged people in the days and weeks leading up to their trip to limit their contact with others.

He says anyone showing symptoms should self-isolate, they should not get on a plane.

So the best advice before you even start to pack your suitcase is to try and limit your chances of catching Covid as your holiday approaches. Simple measures such as using hand sanitiser and wearing a face mask when indoors, plus limiting the number of people you interact with will all help reduce the risk of transmission.

We are at the stage where we have to learn to live with Covid, but that doesn’t mean ignoring its existence. Professor Young has already indicated he would be surprised if the North doesn’t face a significant Covid challenge come the colder months. Living with Covid means learning from it, and for each of us to implement steps to curb it when it rears its ugly head.