At the back end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, we’d all heard of the Corona virus and how it was a new, nasty one that was badly affecting the Far East. The symptoms we heard? A cough, a sore throat, maybe a raised temperature, nothing to worry about really. The prevailing opinion was that unless you were at death’s door it was no more than a cold and everyone should just get on with it. But as the months went past and we began to see the decimation of our society, a creeping sense of uncertainty began crawling over us and we started thinking, OK, this might be more serious. But was there anyone out there in the general public who would have predicted our slippery slope towards mass infection, hospitals full to bursting, cancer patients having their treatment disrupted, surgeries being cancelled and care homes go into lockdown for almost a year? Probably not. But if we fast forward twelve months, the face of our society has changed and there are new priorities. What have we learned about health in particular?
- That we are not invincible. Viruses can and will kill us.
- That the possibility of mass infection is a very real threat, even with today’s sophisticated world of medicine.
- That in order to stay safe we have to take proactive steps to help ourselves.
- The simple rules of hygiene may be exactly that, but we need to follow them or there are serious consequences.
It’s little wonder then that attitudes towards contraceptive protection have changed as well. Suddenly we are all too aware of infection and how it will attack you; sales of condoms have skyrocketed. Because it isn’t just about preventing pregnancy any more (not that it ever was, but that’s usually the main reason behind contraception), but it’s the fear of contracting something potentially life threatening. Recent research has shown that COVID has:
- a)Had a positive impact on people’s intentions to use protection.
- b)Has increased people’s desire to protect themselves and others.
Both of these things are great! But do we really want to slide back into a slightly-altered-but-nevertheless-pretty normal way of life? Do we want to lose this heightened sense to protect ourselves and others from STIs? Of course not. But if we want to keep these benefits, then we must collectively embrace them.
WHO (World Health Organisation) has revealed that there are over 1 million new cases of STIs being contracted every single day, worldwide. There is also an increasing trend in the UK which puts not only our health at risk, but also that of the people who are striving to help us – our precious NHS. We are also seeing consequences towards long term health, not just acutely, which is something we have only previously seen with conditions that are obviously long term: cancer, lung disease, heart disease, transplant patients. We haven’t so far associated cold symptoms has being hazardous for our lifetime health, which is worrying because the numbers out there of people who will appreciate this threat is not as high as it should be.
Happily, this increasing trend of STIs has been disrupted by lockdown and the strict restrictions that the nation has been placed under. To put it simply – there’s less chance of risky sex. But the worry is that this might backfire, abstaining from sex might see the positive trend being bucked as thousands of sex starved people can finally meet up again, and relationships that have been nurtured remotely (new and old) can now be physically consummated. Therefore, is a return to the original trajectory on the cards? Quite possibly.
In a survey carried out in May 2020, 59% of respondents said that lockdown has significantly changed their attitudes towards protecting themselves and others. 48% reported being more aware of viruses and their impact. The hope is that this new-found understanding will encourage a permanent change of heart towards casual sex and its health implications. More survey results revealed:
- -82% of people are less likely to have a one night stand, or if they’re going to then they’re thinking twice about it.
- -87% are going to take more care with theirs’ and others’ sexual health.
- -85% said there would be no judgement for using a condom.
These results speak for themselves; there has been a huge jump forward in our attitudes towards having casual, unprotected sex. And for those who are new to the world of condoms, there are a whole lot out there that will probably exceed your expectations. The condom industry takes its responsibility seriously and there are condoms suitable for everyone, and for what everyone wants to do. Buying online and in bulk will save you a lot of money, so it really is worthwhile investing in a stash of them. Collectively, we can embrace this pro-condom thinking and encourage new habits to become permanent ones. In this way, we stand a chance of putting COVID into a lockdown of its very own.
