Rona 5. This time its personal

 In a previous post, I predicted that masks were here to stay. However since then, masks have mostly disappeared. I still see a few people wearing them when out and about, but as of now there is only one place that "requires" them (whether they enforce it or not is another matter) and that's my dermatologist.  That's odd because of all places where I go, they'd be the ones most interested in seeing my skin.

I can't exactly remember how it came to be.  I remember that my allergist, who I visit every week for a shot had a sign up saying "Masks still required", the wording of which kind of acknowledges defeat. (Everyone else has dropped the requirement but we still have it).  However, I would routinely go in with no mask and no one would say anything about it.  Then, suddenly the sign was gone.  There was no change in official guidance that I ever heard, they finally just got tired of wearing them, I guess.  

It just seems like no one wanted to go first.  A federal judge in Florida ruled that the CDC didn't have the authority to mandate masks on airplanes and there was a great moaning and rending of garments on the TV news.  The Federal Government even sued to re-acquire it's authority to mandate such things.  But after the mandatory 2 days of panic, everyone seems to have accepted that masks weren't needed after all.  I don't know the psychology of it.  All the consternation and caterwauling simply stopped.  

But that's when cases were low and expected to stay low.  During March to May, there was a widespread feeling that the pandemic was over.  The Omicron Variant was spreading rapidly but with limited symptoms, meaning that soon everyone would have gotten it and gotten over it and that'd be that.

But the Omicron is a stubborn bugger.  Now with variant BA.5 running wild (even more transmissible!) cases are going up again.  There's still scant evidence that it leads to serious disease, but even with a less virulent variant, the number of hospitalizations can go up in cases are high enough (1% of 1000 is more than 5% of 100).  In other countries that have suffered through the BA.5 there was no serious trouble.  But maybe they don't have politicians and newsies who are as dedicated to stirring trouble up.

So the usual suspects are starting to re-introduce mask orders, or at least they are talking about it.  Whether anyone will comply is unclear.  

Pfizer and Moderna are flogging a new vaccine that's tailored to omicron.  Health experts are confidently predicting another huge wave this fall, but actually the wave is kind of underway now.  Cases are still relatively low, but rising and hospitalizations are low, but rising as well.  

But I just don't think that anyone cares.

The big end of the pandemic was in February of 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.  That dominated the news in a way that hadn't happened since the George Floyd riots.  That was during the tail end of the original Omicron wave and I wondered how Omicron could signal the end of the world (as I was assured on the news) yet Russia and Ukraine were healthy enough to start a shooting war.  And, plenty of memes popped up crediting Vladimir Putin for ending the pandemic.  The rona just never got traction again after the newsies got tired of virtue signaling over Ukraine. The warnings and predictions of doom around the BA.5 variant seem strained to me.  As if the reporters are, themselves, tired of it all and just going through the motions.

There are other problems to occupy people's minds.  Inflation is around 9% right now.  Gas prices peaked in Texas around $4.80 / gallon, though gas is less than $4 now.  Stores are running out of goods and, while it's uncommon to be completely unable to buy something, it's common enough to not be able to buy specifically what you want (ie you might not be able to get Ragu spaghetti sauce, but Hunts is available, or you might not be able to buy a 6 pack of 16 oz Dr Pepper in plastic bottles, but cans are available).  We were treated to a global shutdown of baby formula which I'd have never predicted.  And it might still be going on.  Who knows?  After a massive hiring boom, there are indications that companies are starting to cut back and a recession may be on the horizon.

The Cincinnati Reds still suck.

So with all that in mind who cares about the rona?

Professional gadfly and occasional doctor Anthony Fauci has done the TV Tour encouraging people to get vaccinated, while at the same time, saying the vaccines don't really prevent infection.  He probably feels the need to say that since he himself got the rona after being repeatedly vaccinated.  Professional worry wort and nominal head of the CDC Rochelle Walensky has been blessedly absent from the TV.

We'll see what happens in the coming weeks but it feels like the pandemic is over.  That's why I started writing this stuff down. The farther into the rearview mirror all of this recedes, and the more new catastrophes pop up, the less I can remember of the details beyond a general feeling that we got screwed.