Around the time I first started showing symptoms for Covid, President Biden said the pandemic is over. He said we still have Covid to deal with, but that the pandemic is over.

It’s a real headscratcher. Hundreds of people are still dying every day. As of right now, we are getting as many deaths a week due to Covid as the total number of people that died in the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001.

Unfortunately, people are tired of living with the pandemic. They are tired of staying at home, wearing masks, and being afraid.

I don’t know what else to say about this. Tomorrow, I’m going to talk about nuance and maturity, but today I want to talk about Covid and why we should still be taking it seriously.

Pretending that the pandemic is over sends the wrong message if you want a healthy public. Telling someone that the pandemic is over, without any other context, suggests that maybe they don’t need to keep getting vaccinations.

There are still idiots that think Covid isn’t real. Or that it is just the flu. Or whatever other nonsense they want to use in order to deny the inconvenience of reality.

Most people have very mild symptoms if they get Covid after being vaccinated. That is not how I would describe my experience. I need to see my doctor, actually, because I’m pretty sure Covid damaged my lungs. It’s been more than 2 weeks, and I still have an uncomfortable cough and pain in my chest.

We need to be smarter about this. People’s health should not be a political talking point. None of this should be political.

There’s a virus going around killing hundreds of people a day, which has an exponential rate of infection even when people are protected, and if it doesn’t kill you, it might make it impossible for you to work for a while.

Let’s focus on that last bit for a second. Let’s pretend that Covid becomes weak enough that it no longer kills people at all. It’s just this really inconvenient sickness that makes it difficult for people to breathe or work effectively. Shouldn’t that be enough to make people stop and care?

Melissa and I are fortunate. We are in positions where we can comfortably miss work if we need to. Our daughter, on the other hand, needs her job. There are millions like her that don’t have the kind of support we’re giving her, and when they get sick with something like Covid, they run the risk of not being able to afford food or rent. Why should we be so callous with these people?

That’s not even considering people that are immunocompromised or have existing conditions that put them at greater risk when confronted with something like Covid.

So what am I saying? Am I suggesting we all go back into isolation again?

No.

I’m saying we need to continue to take it seriously. We need to stop pretending that the pandemic is over, and respect Covid for the deadly virus that it is. That means wearing masks from time to time, and social distancing when appropriate. And it means isolating when we get sick, so that we don’t continue to be vectors, allowing the disease to run out of control.

It also means staying vigilant on vaccinations and boosters.

Get “back to normal” but react appropriately if something happens. Melissa and I went on the Writing Excuses Cruise, and we got bit with Covid. Our response was to isolate as long as we could, until it was safe to come home. It was inconvenient for us, but we did our best to minimize the risk to others.

That’s it. Be your best and do your best.

Denying the reality of Covid is NOT your best.