With high adult vaccination rates, reopened borders and now heading towards Christmas with greater freedoms, I know many Fijians are experiencing some relief after what has been a really tough year.
As much as we want the pandemic to end, COVID-19 has not gone away and will still be with us for some time.
The situation unfolding in other parts of the world shows that while vaccines are extremely effective at reducing the number of people getting really sick and dying, they are not enough on their own.
No vaccine can prevent 100 per cent of infections, and vaccinated people can still pass on the virus to others, including the most vulnerable, such as elderly loved ones and those with underlying health conditions.
But there is good news – vaccines in combination with other measures give us the opportunity to shift our approach and adapt to safely living with the virus over the long term.
While COVID-19 case numbers have dropped considerably in Fiji over the past months, around the world, they have been rising and we are now watching closely to see the impact of Omicron, the new variant of concern.
The data available suggests Omicron is highly transmissible and we need to be ready for the next surge.
As long as transmission continues anywhere in the world, the virus can continue to mutate and spread, and we must all be prepared for case numbers to rise again.
We all agree that we want to try to avoid future lockdowns and prevent another increase in people getting really sick and dying in Fiji and every country.
So, this means we need to live in a way that allows us to do the things that make life fulfilling – having a meal with loved ones, playing sport, attending religious gatherings, and completing a day’s work – but which also lowers the risk of infection.
We now know that there are sustainable ways to manage COVID-19 and cope with future surges.
We can achieve this through a combination of actions, adapted for Fiji, to avoid overwhelming local health services and minimise greater disruption to daily lives.
The first action is vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines are the best defence against becoming severely ill or dying from the virus and should be taken as soon as available. On this front, Fiji has done really well.
Fiji should be proud of its very high coverage, and continue to vaccinate and communicate about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines until every eligible person has been fully vaccinated.
So far, there is some evidence to suggest that the vaccines may be less effective for preventing infections of Omicron, but they are still effective for preventing severe illness.
We know that we cannot rely on vaccines alone, though, so we need to keep practicing simple protective behaviours that can reduce risk to ourselves, our friends and family.
These can be very simple actions, such as avoiding crowds, limiting time in closed and crowded spaces, and wearing masks. We must continue to wash our hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.
If we’re sick, we must stay home to avoid spreading illness to others, and seek medical care early.
These actions are easy for all of us and cause little disruption to our lives.
But if we all do this, we can help protect ourselves, our families and our communities, and also help avoid the strict control measures that are now being re-introduced in other countries.
With COVID-19 continuing to spread all over the world, we should not be surprised to see more surges in the future in Fiji, and this may mean that the Ministry of Health and Medical Services needs to issue new COVID advice in the future.
The Ministry is constantly monitoring the spread and impact of COVID-19 – including new variants – and adapting response measures based on the changing risk.
In Fiji, they have recently eased measures based on the current level of virus transmission and high vaccination coverage, but they may need to tighten measures or change the rules at a later date.
We all need to keep watching the advice from the ministry, and be ready to adapt if the advice changes. Our individual actions can play an important part in what happens next.
This new approach to COVID-19 is all about being adaptable and about supporting each other, something that I know Fijians are very good at.
The reason that case numbers dropped so dramatically is because you all worked together to support the response, and one another.
After all of that effort and the sacrifices in lockdown, we must now protect what has been achieved as a community and reduce the risk of the virus surging back.
If we all take small but important precautions now, we can help avoid what we are now seeing in these other countries – more lockdowns, more deaths and local health services getting overwhelmed.
We know what works, we all just have to do it.
COVID-19 might not be going away but if we all play our part we can be prepared to better manage future surges and reduce the impact on our health, our economy and our daily lives.
So, as we approach this special Christmas and holiday period, please take some time to think about how you can act to help keep yourself, your family and your community safe.
I wish all Fijians a safe, healthy and happy Christmas season.
- DR TAKESHI KASAI is the World Health Organization’s regional director for the Western Pacific. The views expressed are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the view of this newspaper.
