covid complacency: 'we can't let our guard down'

as the pandemic drags on into its third month, canadians are getting a bad case of covid-19 fatigue. many are wondering how they’ll continue to adjust to this new normal, filled with long days indoors, furtive and anxiety-filled trips to the grocery store and seemingly endless social distancing.but while fatigue may be setting in, complacency about the virus shouldn’t, says dr. joseph blondeau, a clinical microbiologist and head of clinical microbiology at the university of saskatchewan. he says that adhering to new rules is difficult for people as they mourn their old way of life. to make matters worse, there have been few precedents before covid-19 to prepare people for a pandemic of this scale.“with h1n1, it didn’t materialize into what people thought it might become,” says blondeau. instead, he says, h1n1 became part of the coterie of annual flu viruses, and faded into the background. while in 2009, canadians had eagerly lined up for the h1n1 vaccine, these days about one third of canadians get the annual flu shot.sudden acute respiratory syndrome (sars), which killed 44 people in canada 17 years ago, also didn’t become the threat that was initially predicted.blondeau says that as canadians watch u.s. news — where people are being aggressively encouraged to resume their normal lives to shore up the economy — or notice that there are fewer cases in canada as the curve flattens, they make get a false sense of security.“there’s a feeling of it won’t happen to me,” he says. “people tend to ignore things they can’t see.” he says he’s noticed that fewer people are practicing social distancing, allowing others to get closer than the recommended six feet.however, with experts predicting the virus will not go away, returning with a vengeance in the fall and winter, there is no room for apathy, says blondeau.“we still have to have the same level of vigilance,” he says, adding that the virus is just as deadly and will continue to prey on those who are vulnerable. to date there is no miracle pill that can cure people of the disease — and a vaccine is a long way off, if one is ever developed.and things can happen quickly. “i don’t think the general public realizes how fast one person being positive for covid-19 can turn into an outbreak,” says blondeau. just this past week, 79 staff members and 19 patients tested positive at toronto western hospital in four separate covid-19 outbreaks.blondeau says he is pleased with how canadians have behaved thus far. “from a societal point of view, canadians are much more likely to be adherent, to do their part in slowing the spread of the virus,” he says. “canada has done really quite well.”all canadians need to do now, he says, is to continue what they’ve been doing: washing their hands, cleaning surfaces, practicing social distancing, and staying home as much as possible.“we can’t let our guard down,” he says.