The Forever Pandemic

Not only is the COVID pandemic not over, the BA.2 variation of Omicron is causing an uptick in the United States that some commentators are already calling a wave.  And, as usual, the Northeast, long the most vigilant part of the country when it comes to SARS-CoV-2, is bearing the brunt of it.

So, just when we thought we'd get a reprieve with the warmer weather, we're already dealing with another possible surge.  

Both the Biden administration and World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus have declared that the state of emergency will continue for the time being, which I take to mean a very long, long, long time being.  Some epidemiologists have said it will take at least eight years for SARS-CoV-2 to mutate into a harmless cold. Coincidentally, that's the time it takes to get through medical school.

But wait - there's more!  Omicron keeps mutating into . . . new versions of itself!  Two new mutations of Omicron have been found in upstate New York, and a third has been found in Britain.  Two more have been discovered in Africa.  That's seven variations of Omicron in just the past five months. 

Needless to say, the BA.2 wave in the U.S. has brought back face-covering (FC) mandates, including in the city of Philadelphia, and it's extended existing mandates on public transport until May 3 and in Broadway theaters until May 31.  Although there are no new FC mandates in New York City, the mere threat of BA.2 has caused me to drop plans to go to the New York International Auto Show, back after a three-year hiatus.

Incidentally, BA.2 is just one reason I'm not going to the show this year.  Another reason is the long list of brands skipping the show this year (go here for more on that), along with the fact that most of the days I would have been free to go have since been planned for other engagements.  But BA.2 is enough reason to stay the f**k at home.

Tedros said earlier in the pandemic that 70 percent of the world had to be vaccinated to end the pandemic.  The last time I checked, the global COVID vaccination rate was 59.2 percent and rising.  Pretty good, huh?  Except that Tedros has since clarified his statement to mean that 70 percent of the populations of each country has to be vaccinated.  Terrific - even the U.S. can't reach that threshold! 

As far as I am concerned, I have stopped waiting for the pandemic to be over.  The only thing that's over is my hope of ever getting my life back.  This is why I've been quitting everything I can divorce myself from.  The auto show is just more more thing I have to give up (and besides, it's just not the same anymore).  I'll be quitting more things in the near future.  I have to get used to the fact that I have to stop living and just settle for existing.

The silver lining?  Although eight distinct COVID strains developed between Delta and Omicron, not one new strain different and distinctive enough to warrant its own Greek letter has formed since Omicron in November. That has to count for something.