Opinion

Editorial: Hidden impact of pandemic

ALMOST two years into a pandemic that has lasted longer and had more long-lasting repercussions than anyone could have imagined, no-one is going to predict that the worst is now behind us.

The sudden emergence and rapid spread of the Omicron variant late last year was a reminder that Covid-19 still has the potential to paralyse society and pose serious risk to public health.

However, we can perhaps now tentatively talk of signs that this latest wave has peaked and restrictions on our daily lives could soon ease again.

In Northern Ireland, more than 3,000 new Covid cases were reported yesterday, but that comes against a trend of falling infection rates and, more importantly, hospital admissions.

While our health service continues to operate under enormous strain, Robin Swann indicated last week that worst fears about the Omicron outbreak have not materialised.

In the Republic, there is also growing optimism that case numbers have turned a corner and discussion can move to a relaxation of rules that saw a strict curfew on hospitality venues.

The enormous vaccination effort north and south has been the the game-changer and it is vital that complacency does not set in.

Pregnant women have again been reminded of the need to be jabbed after a study found that Covid increases risk of pre-term births, stillbirths and new-born deaths.

The World Health Organisation's Special Envoy on Covid-19 spoke yesterday of the hope that it will eventually become something more akin to the common cold.

However, as we increasingly find ways of living with the virus, more details are also emerging about the damage it has wreaked on the health service, education system and economy.

A trainee surgeon in the Belfast trust has revealed that just five per cent of planned orthopaedic procedures took place over the past three months compared with pre-Covid levels.

Waiting lists for operations such as hip and knee replacements had already reached appalling levels, with many patients faced with delays of more than four years.

The pandemic has only exacerbated the crisis as surgery was cancelled to allow staff to be redeployed to the Covid front line.

Trainee surgeons have now written to Mr Swann with concerns that limited training opportunities could leave graduates poorly prepared to perform operations.

Even if there is now light at the end of the Omicron tunnel, it is clear the consequences of the pandemic will be with us for many years to come.