The Pandemic is Over
Early in January, I was watching Fox News when host Greg Gutfeld declared that the Pandemic would be over for him on February 1st. Greg wasn’t being a prophet. He regularly mixes humor and politics. In this case, he spoke with a mix of humor and frustration. He decided the first of February would be the day he would stop worrying about the virus.
Liberal comedian Bill Maher expressed similar frustrations when he recently stated, “I don’t want to live in your paranoid world anymore — your masked, paranoid world.” Then former New York Times staff writer and opinion editor Bari Weiss stated “We were told you get the vaccine, you get the vaccine and you get back to normal … we haven’t gotten back to normal.” So, Bari said, she’s “done with COVID.”
Each time someone declared their own personal end to the pandemic it brought a smile to my face. Perhaps the virus won’t be done with them, but they’re adults and have made their own choice. However, it has become clear to me that declaring an end to the pandemic isn’t a choice our government leaders seem willing to allow. For them each variant brings the potential of “severe illness and death.” We should be twice vaccinated, boosted, masked, and double masked. No, don’t wear a cloth mask; use an N95 surgical grade mask. Additional booster shots may be needed. Gatherings should be limited or avoided. In many states citizens are required to be vaccinated to work, shop, or eat at a restaurant.
But, I don’t want to live in fear and the virulent disease that COVID was has mutated into the milder Omicron. Along with millions of Americans, I’ve been vaccinated and boosted. Therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies are now available. Remdesivir, an antiviral drug, has recently been approved to treat COVID. Doctors are still arguing about other drugs, such as Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Meanwhile, whatever happened to the idea of achieving herd immunity?
Just yesterday, I heard of a new Omicron subvariant that has been dubbed “Stealth Omicron,” because it appears to be harder to track. It was then that I concluded Greg Gutfeld, Bill Maher, and Bari Weiss were right. This pandemic will never be over until the average citizen reaches the conclusion that it is over for them.
Gutfeld and the others may be wiser than most people in government. By their declaration that pandemic is over, each of them has declared they will not live in fear. They’re moving forward with their lives and so am I.
Is the pandemic over for you? If not, when do you think it will be over? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.
