Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Jo Raphael: I'm avoiding Covid like the plague

OPINION

I shouldn't be saying this out loud, let alone tempt fate in a written column, but, so far, touch wood, I have managed to avoid Covid.

People I know have it, have had it, or haven't got it yet and just want to get it over and done with.

Me? I want to avoid it like ... well ... the plague.

I just don't like feeling sick, and I would imagine that goes without saying for most people.

Many of my colleagues who are sick or recovering say it's like "trying to breathe through a straw".

I feel terrible for my workmates, but no thanks.

There is no way to predict how severely someone will experience the virus.

Some get light or no symptoms while some are hospitalised.

I'd rather not find out which one I would be.

Yesterday there were 330 new cases in the Lakes District Health Board region and 804 in the Bay of Plenty health board area.

Today we report that we are in the midst of our Omicron peak - Lakes DHB predicts that we won't come out of the peak until next month at least.

Covid-19 modeller Professor Michael Plank says it's "quite possible" the Lakes region has reached peak cases or is "just about" to.

Bay of Plenty DHB Covid-19 incident controller Trevor Richardson says the trend of the region's reported case numbers indicate "we may be at or close to the Omicron peak in community cases this week".

"We will only know for sure when the peak has passed."

Te Punaha Matatini principal investigator and Covid Modelling Aotearoa project lead Dr Dion O'Neale says the Ministry of Health data shows case numbers have done a "peak, dip, increase".

He suspects this happened after there was a change in Covid testing.

"Once RATs became available, a bunch of people rushed out and got them.

"These people weren't able to get PCR tests previously and then suddenly they could get a RAT and we saw this big surge."

The concerning fact though is there could be people testing positive on a RAT but not reporting it to the health ministry.

I urge them to do so. The sooner we get out of this peak, the sooner we can get on with our lives.

Meanwhile, I'm vaxxed and boosted. I mask up when I'm out. But I'd sooner skirt this pandemic unscathed.