Editorial: People may be over Covid, but the virus isn't over us

Wearing good quality masks in public areas is one way we can continue to fight Covid-19. Photo / AP

EDITORIAL

Britain has been something of an early warning siren for other countries on Covid-19.

Its data has provided useful information on virus waves before they hit elsewhere. It was early to vaccinate and has consistently been early to ease restrictions after surges - and shown the impacts of those moves to other nations.

Now the Office for National Statistics is confirming Covid infections are rising again across Britain. About one in every 25 people have it and in Scotland it's one in 18.

The office hasn't confirmed a definite cause or set of reasons but likely factors include the Omicron BA.02 variant, the most recent bout of restriction-easing in Britain, and possible declining vaccine immunity.

What's more, other European countries, which were hit earlier by Omicron than New Zealand was, are also seeing slight upward ticks in Covid daily case numbers.

They include the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Portugal, France, Italy and Belgium. Some of these changes are small so far and from much lower numbers than occurred during Omicron surges. These countries started to get Covid case rises in early November, with Omicron at its height between mid-December and mid-February.

In New Zealand, mid-February is when confirmed daily cases passed 1000. Now, in mid-March, there's a small downward trend.

Yesterday there were 14,494 new confirmed cases compared to 20,989 on Friday, with a rise in hospitalisations and deaths up to 113. Cases in Auckland fell again from 7240 on Friday to 4509 yesterday.

Two years and more than 6 million deaths after the World Health Organisation declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, Covid is now one of several issues causing problems globally: including inflation, supply shortages, and high oil prices with the Ukraine war.

Politics always feels local in its impact, and people are less interested in the reasons why than the heavy dent filling up at the pump has just made in their wallet. The Government has just had an alarm go off in the form of a 1News Kantar opinion poll which showed Labour falling to 37 per cent support behind National on 39 per cent.

Perhaps a combination of many people being largely "over" the pandemic and the opposition party being traditionally viewed as focused on economics is part of it. National might be perceived by some people as better able to deal with cost of living concerns. Or perhaps the suffocating presence of the pandemic and the measures that have come with it have accelerated a desire for change among some voters.

For its part Labour has time and opportunity to make adjustments and influence current perceptions.

The hints of Omicron changes in Europe and also Australia show Covid still has to be handled with caution even with reopening underway. Another round of booster shots may soon be needed.

People might yearn for a complete return of 2019 life as we knew it but there's actually more need now for people to stay alert to the virus. With greater movement of people in and out of the country and fewer official requirements, the onus is on people to make sensible decisions about it for their own health.

That means ensuring vaccine shots are up to date, meeting people in well-ventilated places, and wearing good quality masks in public areas. It's the 2022 normal.