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February is now with us, and one month of the New Year has already gone! We have been presented with information from all directions, and we’ve been invited, coaxed and goaded into buying this product or that service. The pros and cons of health measures, vaccinations and social distancing have found popularity with some elements of the media. We can be forgiven for thinking we have been continually bombarded with opinions and information about all aspects of our lives!

The start of the new school year is usually a trigger to get life “back to normal”. But what is “normal” these days? Some COVID-19 spread from a dance party has resulted in “places of interest” being identified hundreds of kilometres away. A couple of these places of interest have been visited by teachers, and this has resulted in self isolation and in numbers of students not being able to start school while their teacher awaits a PCR test result.

How unpredictable daily life is now, affected by the risk of a virulent and spreading virus! Early modelling has suggested that we could have up to 50,000 COVID-19 cases by the time Waitangi Day arrives. Thankfully, our actual numbers (around 140 per day) are significantly lower! Now we have the Government reducing the Booster wait time from four months to three, and bulk orders of Rapid Antigen Tests are being acquired. The aim is to get early warning of infections in order to stamp out the virus before it spreads further.

We’re all aware that even a double vaccination and a booster shot is not a preventative – it will only reduce the likelihood of catching and spreading COVID-19. But why wouldn’t we follow this option? Aiding the vaccine with masks and social distancing allows us better control over the risks. Logic indicates that a reduced likelihood is better than the alternative. This is good enough for me. Like many people with firm opinions, I find it difficult to see any logic in the other side’s argument!