Post-pandemic Observations

This Canada Post mail truck passed our house this week with its late 1960s-style psychedelic glow. Artist Andrew Lewis created the design for a postage stamp but it was later expanded as a wrap for some of the corporation's delivery vehicles. The stamps were issued to thank employees for their service during the pandemic and to inspire positivity and happiness. The artist is quoted as saying, "I wanted something really positive and happy in this weird, gloomy and kind of oppressive time."

COVID-19 is now endemic along with our regular coronavirus and influenza strains. I had a mild COVID-19 infection during the first week of January 2024 with some fatigue and a scratchy throat. I was scheduled to work seven shifts in the first week and a half of the month but did not have to report my positive test to employee health. We can work if we are afebrile and if our symptoms have been improving for 24 hours. This is quite a paradigm shift and it will take a while for society to see COVID-19 as a generally minor illness now that there is mass immunity to the virus. 

Free COVID-19 home test kits are no longer available in our region as the provincial government stopped distributing them in September 2023. Hospitals are extremely busy this season with various respiratory illnesses. Influenza A is widespread this year and the effects can be serious in younger and older patients. Symptomatic patients are screened for COVID-19, influenza and RSV on admission. During the pandemic, the rates of other respiratory illnesses were low as masking and lockdown orders stopped the transmission of more than COVID-19. We started wearing gloves for patient care in the 1980s and '90s when blood-borne illnesses like Hepatitis C and HIV were identified. The use of face masks in high-risk environments will become a new normal in the post-pandemic world. When I was working with my own COVID-19 infection last week, I was required to wear a mask all day and could not eat around other people. This is a smart way to act when infected with any communicable respiratory illness.

Early on in the pandemic, it was clear that many people with severe disease had other medical comorbidities such as diabetes, cardiac and pulmonary issues, and advanced age. as well as those with compromised immunity. Lifestyle has a major influence on our "healthspan" which is a more significant quality of life measure than "lifespan". I see this over and over again in my work and it motivates me to take responsibility for my health. 

It is good to leave pandemic restrictions behind as we adjust to a new normal. The scientific expertise that identified the virus, developed a vaccine, and improved treatment options for vulnerable people is to be commended. Unfortunately, anti-science conspiracies gained traction within some groups of people and spread into politics during the pandemic. Epidemics will continue to crop up from time to time but we can hope that another pandemic will be at least 100 years off in the future. Let's remember the lessons learned over the last four years.