For many, emergency restrictions such as lockdowns and crowd limits are now a bad memory from an extraordinary time, while mandatory isolation for the COVID-positive has been cut to five days amid pressure to axe it entirely.

But for some older South Australians, the emergency is not over. They fear catching COVID-19. They know the risk it poses to the old, the vulnerable and immunocompromised.

SA Health data shows that 83 per cent of people who died after testing positive to COVID-19 in South Australia were aged 70 and over.

A typical roll-call of fatalities in an SA Health media release.

Ninety-year-old Sergio Bertozzi doesn’t want to join them.

He worked in a variety of jobs including at the Kelvinator factory at Woodville North before retiring.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Bertozzi, who is fully vaccinated and fiercely independent, has lived in self-imposed lockdown at his eastern suburbs home.

He has never had COVID-19 to his knowledge. Living alone and unable to drive, the grandfather has told relatives not to visit him too frequently.

“I’m 90. If I get COVID, I think I’ll be gone, that’s my opinion,” Bertozzi said.

“I’m very careful who I meet and what I’m doing.”

Bertozzi said his movement was limited even before the pandemic due to physical issues, but since the pandemic he has avoided most social interactions, only seeing family, visiting shops occasionally and opting to ring friends instead.

Before agreeing to meet this writer one morning, he asked that I first take a RAT test.

Photo: Jason Katsaras/InDaily

“I’m careful. I go to the shops once a week with my daughter,” he said.

“Young people don’t care much about it because they get COVID-19 they’ll be sick for two or three days and everything is gone, but I’ve read that some people are ill for weeks and weeks.”

Bertozzi said given that his family is his main contact, he fears they could pass on the virus to him.

“I went to my daughter’s house for my 90^th birthday and the next day my grandson rings me up and says he had COVID,” he said.

“I already told everyone in my family, I don’t need to you don’t come around, you know. I don’t want to see too many people around. I feel better.”

It’s a similar story for Mt Gambier resident Dyanne Cooke.

The 69-year-old is also fully vaccinated, but with the relaxation of restrictions including mandatory isolation times is anxious about contracting COVID-19 for the first time.

“I’ve had a lot of trouble getting my mojo back since the whole thing broke loose,” Cooke said.

Cooke said she has been unable to visit her 92-year-old father in Queensland for fear of picking up the virus or transferring it to him.

“He’s not well. I’d love to see him but I’m just a little bit fearful of doing that at this point,” she said.

“I’ve been maintaining social distance, wearing a mask, all the stuff that they recommend that you do. I’m certainly very reluctant to get on a flight somewhere because I don’t want to be in airports or planes.

“I’m quite staggered by younger people who just don’t seem to care less about COVID anymore, but also those of my generation who don’t seem to be concerned despite being in the vulnerable category.”

Cooke said she is confused by government messaging.

“The information changes so much, so frequently, I can’t keep track,” she said.

“I value my health and I want to try and make sure I stay as healthy as possible; I don’t want to be intentionally blasé about doing anything that will take that away from me.”

Chief Executive of the Council on the Ageing Jane Mussared wants more information to be available so each person can assess their own risk factors.

“COVID continues to be a serious illness which disproportionately impacts people with underlying health conditions, many of whom are older,” Mussared said.

“Older people are generally very proactive in making decisions about how they live. COTA SA urges the federal and state governments to keep up information to older people so that they can assess their risk.”

St Louis Aged Care CEO Maris Naish said all visitors to their facilities must test for COVID-19, estimating that 90% of residents have not contracted the infection.

“We do a lot of home care as well and initially, what clients were doing was cancelling services because they didn’t want anyone in their home, Naish said.

“They didn’t want to potentially have a carer that might have visited other clients, but that initial anxiety has receded.

“The acute anxiety of almost putting their health at risk, saying they’re not going to see anyone even though they need help with medication, dressing or showering, that has receded now.”

Professor Adrian Esterman, chair of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, said that government messaging on the issue needs to improve.

“The reality is that people my age – and I’m 74 – are very much at increased risk of complications, especially if we have co-morbid conditions, and the vast majority of people in their 70s and older do,” Esterman said.

“But even though I’m 74 and I have a medical condition that puts me at very high risk, I don’t live like a hermit.

“You can live a half-normal life. The only trouble is relying on other people to do the right thing, and all our governments are now saying that it’s up to the individual to measure their risk and take action.

“If you’re in your 70s or 80s and go out to a shopping centre and you’re the only person wearing a mask, there’s still a high risk.”

Health Minister Chris Picton and chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Photo: Stephanie Richards/InDaily

Esterman said he did not believe elderly or vulnerable individuals were aware of the new line of defence that antiviral medications now offer.

“I know that if I do get infected, I’ll quickly get some antivirals into myself, which will reduce the risk even further,” he said.

“But I don’t think a lot of elderly people understand this; they’ve probably had their fourth shot, but I’m not sure they understand about antivirals and the role they play.

“It’d be nice to try and reassure them that there are things we can do.

“Yes, you are at much higher risk simply because of your age, but nonetheless there are people in their 90s who catch it and they’re absolutely fine.”

Esterman said the move to introduce weekly reporting of Covid-19 cases sends the message to the public that the pandemic is over.

“Unfortunately, it’s not over. We’re still getting many deaths today; we’re still getting 12% of infected people ending up with long-term health problems. We might well have another sub-variant on the horizon.

“For older people, it’s about living as normally as possible while managing the risks.

“We know the names and addresses of every person over 70, okay, it’s on the electoral roll: why can’t we send them a letter explaining how to keep themselves safe in very simple ways?”