COVID 2022: How can we help?

We’ve focussed on testing, we’ve focussed on variants, we’ve focussed on how to get vaccinated. Now what?

2022 is set to be another year of restrictions, lockdowns and missed opportunities, but it isn’t just the healthcare industry that can do its part. It is now up to us, as individuals, to do our part to keep our communities safe.

If there’s anything we’ve learnt during COVID, it’s that minor actions can have huge consequences. From staying inside while infected to choosing to get vaccinated, there are a whole host of ways that we can help get Australia safely out of the pandemic.

 Treat yourself if you can when sick or injured

If you can, avoid using healthcare you might not need. Pre-pandemic, many people were in the habit of going straight to emergency if they experienced any kind of injury, but this is often not necessary.

With the added pressure on hospitals, consider whether you really need to go to the emergency department or if you might be able to see a doctor instead. If you aren’t sure which type of treatment you need, call 112 who can give you advice.

With COVID, this is especially important. If you have or think you might have COVID-19, avoiding hospitals can save lives. If you do need emergency assistance, please do not hesitate to call an ambulance – just let them know in advance that you may be contagious. 

Isolate if you need to

Just like you don’t want to bring COVID into the hospital, avoid spreading around your community too. Even if you have very mild symptoms and feel ridiculous staying home and missing work, you could be saving someone’s life.

No link has been found between severity of illness and contagiousness, so your mild case might be someone else ending up in ICU. Even if you have no symptoms at all, you could still pass COVID on to someone that might have a worse experience.

If you live in a remote community or have regular contact with vulnerable people, isolating when you need to is even more important. Children and the elderly do not have the immunity that young and healthy people do. Consider everyone. 

Get vaccinated as soon as you can

We all know by now why we need to get vaccinated. If you aren’t sure or are still considering your options, we encourage you to read up on how it works and why vaccines are so important.

Just one person being unvaccinated can create numerous infections and even deaths, and we wouldn’t want any of our lovely health community to be a part of that. While vaccinated individuals can still catch COVID, the chance of them being seriously ill is far lower.

We understand that it is scary when there is so much misinformation being spread, but please try to listen to official sources rather than rogue ‘doctors’ and social media. The vaccines have been found to be safe and effective by the people that know what they’re talking about.

What can individuals do about COVID?

Beneath all the frustration and confusion, we individuals now have more control over ending the pandemic. Keeping those most vulnerable members of our community safe is the priority for most of us, so it might be reassuring to know that.

Getting vaccinated and staying home if you need to are still the most important individual actions that you can take. If you haven’t been vaccinated, you might be sick of hearing it but doing so now might still save multiple lives.

Times like these make me proud to be an Australian resident because we are generally good at looking out for one another and doing the right thing.