OPINION (AN COLÚN): As old fears recede, new fears come into view

As old fears recede new fears come into view. The worries which once occupied a lot of our thoughts are replaced with new worries.

Covid-19 has been a massive source of anxiety for fourteen months. The majority of us have thankfully dodged the bullet of suffering but a lot of us have not been so lucky. The images coming from India in the last couple of weeks are harrowing. These images show us what might have been in Ireland if we had not imposed the restrictions. They show us that our government had no choice but to impose the restrictions of the last 14 months.

But now, with the rollout of the vaccines, comes a new dawn; and the grip of Covid is loosening in strength. As it loosens, our worries about Covid become less and less. The promised land is in sight.

In the last couple of weeks a number of my relatives and friends have been vaccinated. This has been marvellous to see. It has also made me a little envious of them, because they now have armour-plating against this terrible disease which I do not. On Thursday I can register for the vaccine, something which I am greatly looking forward to. How good it will be to freely mingle with others and feel that my immune system has got an incredible weapon in its armoury to fight the invading virus.
I am eagerly anticipating travelling again. Travelling, being on the move, seeing new sights, can be very lovely things indeed. I love flying in planes, I like watching the countryside go by in trains, I like exploring the backroads of France in my car. It will probably be a matter of only a few months before I can enjoy these pleasures once again.

I am eagerly anticipating going to concerts again. Here in Birr we are massively fortunate to have the marvellous Birr Theatre & Arts Centre. My grandfather and my grandfather's generation used to dream of having such a facility in our town. They didn't see it. We have it and are remarkably fortunate. It attracts performers of the highest calibre, to see whom you would normally have to travel to one of the cities. My favourite form of music is classical music and I have heard some of the finest practitioners of this art in Birr Theatre over the years. Sadly, this was another pleasure which Covid took from us. I look forward greatly to once again enjoying classical music concerts in this facility.

I am eagerly anticipating being able to hug people once again. This is a great form of communicating, of interconnecting, with others in certain situations. It's a lovely thing which we use when we meet, when we part, when we have won a sports victory on the field; it's a statement of our decency and our friendship.

I am eagerly anticipating seeing no one wearing masks anymore in public; seeing no more yellow and black restriction signs; seeing no more social distancing.

I am looking forward to seeing busy restaurants and pubs.

However as the threat of Covid diminishes new threats loom. These include our country's housing policy, which has been a travesty for so long. The first and foremost thing in our policy should be that houses are homes; they are more than just assets. They are places filled with memories and emotions. They are part of our souls. The capitalist way of looking at them solely as assets and sources of profit is grossly limited and beyond crass.

The emergency housing policy in response to Covid-19 saw the introduction of a ban on evictions; a prohibition on rent increases; payment breaks for mortgage-holders; a decrease in the numbers of people accessing emergency homelessness accommodation and the return of properties for long-term rent from the short-term holiday lettings market. The worry now is that as the Covid-19 restrictions lift, so too will the housing protections. Therefore groups are calling on the government to provide a new housing strategy that is fit for purpose and is at the scale required to really address the country’s housing crisis. I am 50 years of age. I have seen many government housing plans and many promises. I have seen many broken promises. Forgive me therefore if I feel a little sceptical about the current government's attitude to the housing problem. I sincerely hope my scepticism will be unfounded. I sincerely hope that this government will be brave and will be driven by great, game-changing ideas.

After I get my Covid vaccine I must go and get my bloods done, my teeth seen to, my eyes tested. Having a checkup like getting one's bloods done is essential; but I keep putting it off because I am fearful of what the doctor might say to me. Of course, this is a perfectly normal reaction.

Many of us put health checkups on the long finger. I know I will have to bite the bullet in the near future. Even if the diagnosis is negative and bad, I will do my best to keep my mind in as good a place as I can. My Christian faith, as it so often is, will be an important thing in this and contemplating the beautiful thoughts of Christian thinkers such as CS Lewis. (A lovely CS Lewis statement I recently came across was this - “You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.” In this statement is the basis of a healthy attitude to life, and its challenges and its worries.)

One of the worries which will be occupying goverments at the moment is the recent report that urgent action is needed as an estimated one million cancer cases are undiagnosed in Europe due to Covid-19 . This is according to new data published by the European Cancer Organisation co-chaired by Professor Mark Lawler of Queen’s University Belfast.

The study revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic has meant that as well as an estimated one million cancer cases going undiagnosed in Europe, an estimated 100 million cancer screening tests were not performed in the continent during the pandemic, leading to later stage diagnoses and “potential decreased overall survival.”

Professor Lawler said up to 1 in 2 people with potential cancer symptoms were not urgently referred for diagnosis and 1 in every 5 cancer patients in Europe is currently still not receiving the surgical or chemotherapy treatment that they need.

“The scale of the problem is frightening,” the Professor added. “We issue this urgent call to national governments across Europe. The time to act is now. Without immediate action, the Covid-19 pandemic is poised to spark a cancer epidemic across Europe. We require innovative solutions to strengthen cancer systems and provide the best possible care to cancer patients in the United Kingdom and across Europe.”

The findings, a stark reminder of the challenges facing cancer care services in Europe during the pandemic, coincide with the launch of Time To Act, E.C.O’s Europe-wide campaign to urge the public, cancer patients, policymakers and healthcare professionals to ensure Covid-19 does not continue to undermine the fight against cancer.

“Attending cancer screening appointments is critical to increasing the chance of early diagnosis when cancer can be more effectively treated,” continued the Professor. “For cancer patients, treatment must not be delayed, and we encourage cancer patients to insist that their cancer treatment schedule is maintained. The campaign further reaffirms E.C.O’s mission to support healthcare professionals in their commitment to deliver optimal care for the benefit of patients.”