Last resort territory

Wednesday, 11 August 2021 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government yesterday said it would impose a lockdown in the country only as a last resort. The implication here being that the country has thus far not reached last resort territory. However, with COVID-related deaths now hitting a daily average of around 100, and cases surging with the particularly virulent Delta strain, the primary variant, it begs the question, how bad do things need to get?

While the Government’s belief, a view also shared by some experts, that the best way to control this pandemic is through mass vaccination is sound in a broader context, it does not mitigate the need for at least a temporary lockdown.

It is now widely accepted that even double vaccinated individuals are capable of passing on the virus, and while they may show little to no symptoms upon contracting the virus, they still pose a threat to the more vulnerable members of society.

It is these members that are now in most need of hospital care, but sadly the fact remains that the country’s healthcare system is on the verge of breaking point. So much so that the true COVID-related death toll might possibly be far higher if you begin to also account for those who have died due to a lack of adequate care, as a result of COVID patients tying up valuable hospital resources.

Indeed, the SLMA in a letter last week pointed out this exact issue – that patients with other health conditions are being deprived of treatment, including urgent, life-saving treatment, because the health system is overwhelmed by the COVID-19 response.

A temporary lockdown, even for a few weeks, would ease this burden on hospitals and allow them to get back on firm footing. In turn this will help them to take better care of COVID patients, as well as those with non-COVID illnesses.

It is fanciful, to say the least, that the Government believes it can control the spread of this virus without strict and urgent measures. This is something no other country has been able to do to date – In fact, the countries most successful in controlling the virus have been among the more proactive in enforcing lockdowns.

While it is understandable that the economic fallout from the initial lockdown last year might be a reason as to why the Government has been deterred from implementing a similar one now, those in power need to accept that the situation is several times more precarious at present. They need to ask themselves as to whether the grave loss of life is acceptable, especially when the real numbers might be several times worse.

The Government cannot waste any more time, for weeks medical professionals across – those on the frontlines – have been pointing out the severity of the present situation, and it seems that more and more are speaking out on a daily basis.

Talk of reopening borders, and the revival of tourism in the country, while undoubtedly important, is not the need of the hour. We are fast nearing a point of no return, we have seen our regional neighbours suffer a similar fate, the Government cannot continue dragging its feet. The time for action is now.