As we embark on 2022, this will be the year for compassionate, personal and civic responsibility. Omicron has just eclipsed current case rate records, locally and globally. There is now little hope of eradicating COVID-19 as it transitions from pandemic to endemic.
The effects of climate change are upon us, with floods from recurrent atmospheric rivers the latest evidence. COP26, the most recent climate change conference, revealed once again that while nations are concerned and willing to make sacrifices, they fall short and will not literally change the rising tide.
We live in a nation divided, with eroding confidence in the spirit of functional democracy. Anger, fear and greed distract us from the “better angels of our nature.”
It is during these extraordinary times that we must dig deep inside and, rather than vent, ask what we can do for ourselves, our ohana, our island society and the nation to malama our blue planet, heal it and make it safe for generations to come. When we are ill, burned out, isolated, out of work or money and suffer from food and housing insecurity, we tend to feel that we are victims. Civic responsibility seems like someone else’s dream; but it is our many hands, caring eyes and steady breath that enable us to paddle together and offer strength to a troubled world.
Mandates will come and go as determined by our elected leaders, but these are hammers landed with broad strokes. They are delivered with good intentions and skillful means but never can be perfectly suited to every individual. Rather than lash out, we must coordinate our efforts and look to be part of the solution.
We are constantly reminded of the importance of boosters, social distancing, hand-washing, masks and to limit the size of our gatherings. However, there is more to health than COVID-19, which killed 345,000 Americans in 2020 alone. Heart disease and cancer each caused roughly twice as many deaths during the same period. These illnesses along with stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, also in the top 10 leading causes of death, are all silent killers, at least in the beginning. Preventive screening in the
doctor’s office, active management of chronic disease and most elective procedures can be deferred, but only for so long, before risk to life and limb mounts.
At the outset of the pandemic, we never imagined that, going into the third year, case rates would hit another unprecedented peak. But consequently, the medical visits we thought we would defer for a few months have turned into years. To be sure, hospitals and clinics did see an increase in demand for care in late fall, once the last surge abated, but now, again, owing to omicron, hospitals have curtailed elective procedures.
Here is the point: If there is no definitive end to COVID-19 and it is to be endemic, and we already have postponed medical care for some time, it’s probably time to think seriously about taking care of that deferred maintenance. Remember, the other benefit of optimizing one’s health is that COVID-19 is much more survivable without co-morbidities, so better to take care of what we can, when we can.
It is also high time to realize that each time we are on the downslope of a surge, it may not be the last one. In under two years, there have been hundreds of new mutations and fully three game-
changers: alpha from the U.K., last year at this time, delta and delta-plus from India midyear and now omicron. Although the latest mutation does not seem to result in as many hospitalizations and deaths, it is a fierce spreader. Recall that, to spread, the virus has to replicate, and every replication is a chance for a new mutation. Perhaps this is the worst of it, but there is no ruling out the possibility that the next one will be both more contagious and more severe.
Let’s ease into 2022 with a New Year’s resolution of compassionate, personal and civic responsibility. Make this the silver lining.
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Dr. Ira Zunin is a practicing physician. He is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.
