MIXED messaging and lack of unity among political leaders have been a constant throughout the pandemic in Northern Ireland.
From Sammy Wilson's anti-mask tweets in an an ice-cream parlour last August to toxic wrangling over lifting of restrictions before Christmas, cohesion was largely absent at Stormont when it came to any major change in Covid rules.
By early summer of this year, the saving grace was the rollout of the vaccination programme - which up until that point was a huge success in terms of uptake.
However, with the emergence of the highly infectious Delta variant and dramatic stalling of those coming forward for jabs- particularly young people - infection rates and hospitalisations rocketed resulting in the north has one of the highest Covid death tolls in Europe.
Against this backdrop, mandatory vaccine passports to gain entry to pubs and restaurants were being debated in
the Republic.
Hospitality chiefs raised concerns about the logistics of such a scheme while some politicians expressed their opposition, with Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald branding it a "discriminatory approach".
Despite the objections, the Republic's coalition government stood firm and passed legislation that came into force during the last weekend of July.
On that same weekend, thousands of teenagers formed queues from 6am outside vaccination centres in the south as the programme was extended to younger people.
The Republic now has one of the highest vaccination uptake rates in western Europe while the north's has slipped steadily down the table.
Covid death rates south of the border are three times lower than those in the north - which experts say is linked to vaccination.
The impact of Covid certs or vaccine passports is also seen as key in strong uptake rates.
Yesterday a leaked letter revealed that health minister Robin Swann had written to the First and Deputy First Minister at the weekend to express his "frustration" that mandatory vaccine passports had been delayed by his Executive colleagues, a measure he said he first raised "as far back" as April.
The letter, which found its way to all print and broadcast media before the lunchtime news, came after Mr Swann and the majority of his Executive colleagues had the evening before backed the scrapping of social distancing in certain indoor settings such as theatres and cinemas.
However, there was a backlash when it emerged there will be no legal requirement for proof of vaccination to enter these seated indoor venues, with guidance on 'mitigations' instead made - essentially leaving it up to proprietors to seek proof.
While Mr Swann's sense of urgency and anger on the stalling on the issue is all too clear, the fact he and other political opponents supported a move that will allow people entry to indoor venues without showing proof of being jabbed - though not hospitality - will create further confusion for the public.
At a time when a haemorrhaging health service prepares for winter pressures amid further loosening of restrictions, clear government messaging is crucial if vaccination rates are to improve.
A quarter of the under-30s are not jabbed.
While fear drove the majority of the public to obey Covid restrictions during the first lockdown last spring, there was also a united front among Stormont leaders during that period.
With political insults hurled yesterday over the debacle, public confidence is being further eroded and health messaging becomes diluted.
As Waterford announced last week that 99.7 per cent of its adult population over the age of 18 are now fully vaccinated, the time for northern leaders to follow the lead of the south and unite on Covid certs has never been more pressing.
