Through this pandemic we have come to rely on numbers, the number of people who have been infected, announced every day at around 1pm.

Now those numbers have become surreal with the exponential rise – 1300 on Wednesday for the previous 24 hours where up to some weeks ago they would be in double digits. We made a big fuss when the numbers went beyond 100 and an even bigger fuss quite recently when the numbers went beyond 1000.

Now along with the rest of the world the numbers have gone through the ceiling – above 200,000 in just one day in France, an 80% increase in Italy in just one week, etc.

And the stated numbers may not tell the whole story. A statement by the pharmacists said there could be people who think they have flu but actually have Covid.

And we all know people who simply refuse to get a swab or continue with their work or who go for a flurry of shopping before they go for the swab. Or take the case that happened in Italy where a head nurse shopping at a supermarket chanced upon a Covid patient he had just left in the ward.

There is another factor that is increasingly becoming prevalent – people lie, even to their own family (with the truth coming out later or through secondary sources).

The bright side seems to be that this Omicron variant seems less dangerous than eg the Delta one but spreads more quickly. Less people are being hospitalised. People are still dying, though again in lesser numbers.

The general opinion among the medical experts is that the Omicron variant is the surest sign that Covid is getting weaker and may soon die out.

This brings us to the vaccination issue, being pushed all over the world as the surest way to rid the world of this pestilence. But the battle of the vaccine is turning out to be even more controversial than the virus itself. People are having to get two doses of the vaccine followed by a booster with more boosters later on.

The repeated vaccine plus the fact it is all rather experimental for now may account for the limited take-up in many countries.

Which is making country after country ramp up the restrictions to force people to take the vaccine programme. Austria is making vaccination mandatory for all as from February. Italy will force employees to be vaccinated by this month. The unvaccinated will not be allowed to work. Other restrictions regard attendance at sports events, shopping, etc.

This pressure is putting some people’s backs up, as witnessed by the many No-Vax protests which are generally unreported by the mainline media. Protests which repeat suspicions derived from far right ideologies of totalitarian domination through scientific means.

Ultimately, however, the No-Vax protests seem doomed to fail. They have failed to come up with a viable alternative. And the vaccines have brought down the incidence of the virus. Common speculation however still comes up with reported causes of sudden unexplained deaths.

As it is, it is now quite difficult to understand if a person without a mask is No-Vax, is immune, or just forgot to put it on.

The most predictable and immediate effect of the present state of affairs is the widespread and terrible impact of the pandemic on our economy which is dependent more than other countries on mass tourism, at least until vaccination wins the day. The government’s aid programme is ending, as it should be and the afflicted companies will be called upon to devise alternative revenue streams. Still, Malta’s resident population will not be able to make up the shortfall of international visitors.

 A different strategy is called for. There will be victims. At the same time, there will be opportunities for the courageous and the innovative.

This is what I hope for during the year that has just began.

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