While I was taking my leave of the online world this weekend, another ‘rona variant arrived on the scene, designated Omicron (o), which a much scarier sounding greek letter than Delta (δ), even if we don’t know much of anything about it and it’s actual impact just yet.

As for what I’m doing about it, and what I, an admitted non-expert civilian, recommend *everyone* do about it, is to keep practicing social safety measures such as hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a damned mask when I have to go to the store or whatever.

I’m also going to get my COVID booster ASAP – I initially waited a bit because I was operating on old information (this is science in real time after all) that recommended waiting a couple of weeks between the annual flu vaccine (I got mine at the end of October) and the booster, though the most recent guidance says that an interval isn’t necessary, and, in fact, recommends that people save a trip and do them both at the same time if possible.

To emphasize the point here: I’m going to keep doing the things I’ve been doing all along to avoid getting or spreading COVID, and it’s worked so far.

Sadly, there’s a significant minority of people in this country (and the world, I suppose) that refuse to do this, largely because of political affiliation and bad information spread by social media. This significant minority, unsurprisingly, is made up primarily of white rural conservatives, who for all sorts of reasons, ranging from conspiracy theories to “owning the libs,” refuse to take this thing seriously, even after nearly two years and most of a million Americans dead.

And, at least in part, because of those people, COVID-19 is no longer a virus to eradicate; it’s become endemic, here to stay, forever.

That said, most people don’t really understand how this works, and the up-and-down of virus numbers lines up with the political fate of elected officials who, apart from a few significant exceptions, are doing the best they can with the information and power they have to deal with this thing. Sadly, the cycle of people refusing to do the responsible thing, often for political reasons, is preventing these steps from having the most desirous effects, and because the buck stops at the White House, are unfairly blaming the current administration for the continued existence of the problem.

It’s that damned “rights vs responsibilities in citizenship” thing again that I continue to rattle my cage door about, and what’s likely going to be the final nail in the coffin of this unique experiment we call the United States of America unless that “change rising from crisis” pattern I keep looking to for solace eventually happens on it’s sort of usual half-century timeline.

But, once again, honestly, what I see when I go outside to buy cat food doesn’t look anything like our better angels, and I’m finding optimism kind of hard.

Plus, y’know, another potential shutdown at the end of the week.

At least I got to make a couple of cheap Star Trek and Transformers jokes. Take the win.