"The Pandemic is over"

Tonight, President Biden declared the pandemic over.  Normalcy may now resume in those jurisdictions that haven't already done so.  The curve is flat enough, the spread is slow-ish, and Dr. Fauci submitted his 4-month notice.  Overall, it was poorly handled.  Thanks to our advanced communication technology, we were able to do treat this pandemic in a way that would never have been contemplated.  The continuing advance of technology and likely rise in robots will allow even more stringent lockdowns in the future.  Life has risks.  Those who are at threat should 'voluntarily' self-isolate.  People should be free to weigh the odds.  If I had been in my 20s, I would have been frustrated that a disease likely to be mild and non-fatal had put my life on hold.  One of the annoying things from this pandemic is the new definition of vaccine.  I get a flu shot most years, not a flu vaccine.  However, vaccine sounds so much better and gives the impression of immunity.  Really, we've been doing Polio vaccines for decades and there have been virtually no cases.  Covid vaccine and multiple boosters didn't prevent infections, though reportedly reduced the severity.  Yeah, that's what the flu shot does.  This redefinition of terms is how the CDC has sown distrust.  Once lost, trust is very hard to restore.

Let's not do this again.