By Vanessa Cort
THE sound of drums rang out over Georgetown – by Regent and Camp Streets, by the Berbice car park and in front of Demico House and the masquerade bands danced in the City streets. They commanded the intersections at Orange Walk and South Road and Cummings Street and North Road, while drivers showed their appreciation by slowing down to give the young dancers a ‘small piece’ and shoppers stuffed cash into the money boxes of the drummers.

The pavements were jammed with stands selling everything from clothing to carpets and toys to food and the sellers loudly invited shoppers to stop and buy.

Traffic moved at a snail’s pace with horns blaring from time to time and music pounded from store fronts, vehicles and music carts and the thrum of people talking, calling out or laughing added to the cacophony of sound.

While the new Omicron Variant of COVID-19 swept across The United States and Europe, Guyanese were gearing up for the kind of Christmas we celebrated two years ago before the pandemic
The majority of shoppers still wore face masks and businesses still required customers to have their temperature taken (in some cases) and sanitise or wash their hands at the entrances.

It seems that our level of vaccination has been in large part responsible for dropping numbers of infected and a decrease in the death rate. But more than anything else Guyanese are ready for life to return to relative normalcy.  Christmas celebrations have provided a welcome release valve from the constant stress of the pandemic.

And while statistics are not yet available, it seems likely that the sum spent this year may well surpass that of 2019, in much the same way as has happened in the United States.

As the US President said recently in an address to the nation on the pandemic, “I know that you’re tired… I know that you’re frustrated.” And certainly this applies to people the world over and particularly in those countries which are approaching winter and are experiencing an explosion in COVID-19 cases.

The highly transmissible, though reportedly less severe, Omicron Variant has caused a rapid escalation in those infected to the point where  many countries report figures higher that at the start of  the pandemic in early 2020.

With greater socialising over the Christmas season, it is likely that there will be an increase in both deaths and those infected. And the post-seasonal figures will certainly ‘tell the tale’.

It seems that the unvaccinated are more at risk than those who have been fully vaccinated and have received booster shots and it has been reported that 73 per cent of new cases in the US are the result of the Omicron Variant, which is now overrunning the country and overwhelming health facilities.

And while the vaccines do not always prevent infection, they have been shown to significantly reduce symptoms and the necessity for the infected to be hospitalised.

Health experts have been issuing dire warnings to those who choose to remain unvaccinated, with one doctor declaring in no uncertain terms that the pandemic will not be brought under control as long as large numbers of people continue to resist vaccination.

So Guyanese be warned that there is a highly transmissible variant now causing an alarming spike in cases of infection, which will ultimately drive up the death rate.

So while we enjoy this Christmas season and a welcome respite from pandemic stress, we still need to observe pandemic protocols and safeguard ourselves.

And we need to be mindful of the US President’s plea to the American people, “Get vaccinated now…I honest to God think it’s your patriotic duty.”