For many Kiwis, the pandemic is not yet over

‘‘I’m so sick of people saying you have to accept it’s here and live with it. You can do that and still mitigate the risk.’’ Bridget Forsyth Cancer Society health promoter

‘‘I just feel so gaslit by society right now.’’

All around Bridget Forsyth people are relaxing and reverting to old habits, but for her and those she works with, the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over.

As a Cancer Society health promoter, she still has to think very carefully about every interaction to reduce the risk of passing the virus on to the vulnerable cancer patients her colleagues support.

‘‘I’m so sick of people saying you have to accept it’s here and live with it. You can do that and still mitigate the risk,’’ Forsyth said.

Yesterday, there were 3677 active cases of Covid-19 in Southland and Otago with 484 new community cases reported.

Those who were especially vulnerable were having to isolate to protect themselves as Southlanders returned to ‘‘life as normal’’ and stopped wearing masks or social distancing, Forsyth said.

She pointed out that mask use was about protecting other people and not wearing them was ‘‘an ableist view’’, she said. ‘‘There are signs up everywhere, but there’s no enforcement and there’s no respect for others.’’

Not too long ago, she saw a man ‘‘coughing and spluttering’’ in the cold and flu aisle at the supermarket. ‘‘It’s disappointing,’’ Forsyth said. She wished it could become socially acceptable for people to wear masks whenever they were feeling unwell, calling them a tool for health.

And it wasn’t just for vulnerable patients. Forsyth pointed to a friend who was fit and healthy friend who was dealing with heart problems months after contracting Covid-19.

‘‘It’s just a gamble,’’ she said, referring to how people’s bodies would deal with the virus.

The Ministry of Health reported two new deaths of people with Covid-19 in Southland and Otago yesterday while 35 patients were in Southern hospitals – 24 in Dunedin Hospital, 10 in Southland and one in Waitaki.

This means 66 people have now died with the virus in the Southern District Health Board catchment – a number that’s been climbing rapidly since the beginning of May when the district’s death toll sat at 21.

The Ministry of Health releases a total number of people who have died within 28 days of contracting Covid-19 while it works out if the virus was the cause of death.

This week, it confirmed that 24 deaths in Southland and Otago have been directly linked to the virus.

The vast majority of these (20) were in people older than 70, while people between the ages of 40 and 69 accounted for four of the official deaths.

Covid-19 has also been determined as a contributing cause in 12 deaths.

The ministry provided a breakdown of patients in Southland and Otago who were admitted to hospital because of Covid-19, rather than testing positive when they were there for something else.

Between May 17 and May 24, 25 patients spent more than 24 hours in hospital because of the virus – seven were older than 70, 10 were between the ages of 40 and 69, and eight were younger than 39.

Last week, Southern DHB Covid-19 lead Dr Hywel Lloyd said the district had passed its peak in cases among the elderly in most of the district.

However, he warned that hospitalisations and deaths related to all respiratory-related infections would likely climb through the cold winter months.

Of the 3677 active cases in the region Friday, 505 were in Invercargill, 265 were in the Southland District, 130 were in the Gore District, 206 were in Central Otago, 176 were in Clutha, 1650 were in Dunedin, 449 were in Queenstown Lakes, and 291 were in Waitaki.

Nationally, 25 deaths, 6862 community cases and 350 hospitalisations were reported yesterday.