On March 11, 2020, coronavirus was officially designated as a pandemic. I was scheduled to have knee replacement surgery on March 17, 2020. I cancelled. I was afraid, rightly so, to go into the hospital. I was concerned about having physical therapy and being around people. I started to sew masks- but after the first couple of masks I just couldn't do any more sewing.
I kept thinking that the covid news would stop soon. Like when there is a big snow storm predicted- and the new people all talk about it The the snow happens and melts and nobody cares anymore. But that's not what happened.
We were oh so careful. Keeping socially distant from other people. For a while there were arrows on the floor in the grocery store making each aisle one way in order to keep people from being to close to other people. There were lines in front of Costco, and only a certain amount of people were allowed in at a time. Hand sanitizer was sold our. Toilet paper was being rationed to one pack per family. Schools were closed. Virtual working became the norm. Cruises were cancelled.
I am not sure where we are in all this now. Mask mandated are being removed. There are vaccines against covid now. I will continue to wear a mask when I shop.
Every Sunday morning I watch the TV show CBS Sunday morning. Every Sunday they have posted a list of statistics about covid. Then, for the last two weeks they have not shown them.
I don't think it's all gone and over. I think we are getting used to it or tired of it or both.
Below is the screen shot I made today from the TV.
The latest
Two years into the pandemic, the U.S. recovery is uneven, the road ahead unclear. For now, things are quiescent. Daily caseloads are lower than they've been since July. Mask mandates and other public health requirements have been rolled back. The sense of relief is palpable after a winter of soaring infections from the omicron variant.
But the virus is still claiming thousands of lives every week and new variants are bound to emerge eventually. Looking ahead, the optimistic scenario is that we get a new variant that's not as transmissible as omicron, not as lethal as delta, explains my colleague Lena Sun, who has covered the pandemic since the very beginning. The pessimistic scenario is that the next one is as bad or worse and sickens many people. “We will need to remember to do the other things that work, right? Get vaccinated, get boosted, wear your mask,” Sun said. “You just can’t take your foot off the gas pedal completely.” (Watch her full interview reflecting on the pandemic here.)
Against that backdrop, Congress this week failed to reach an agreement on how to fund the government's pandemic response. A $15.6 billion spending plan collapsed in Congress on Wednesday amid disagreement over how to pay for it. The White House says more money is needed to keep federal health programs running and prepare for new variants or infection surges. Without new funding, officials say the United States is poised to run out of tests, treatments and vaccines.
While masks are coming off around the country, Americans will still have to cover up during air travel and on public transit for another month. Transportation officials on Thursday extended masking requirements for commercial airlines, buses, trains and ferries through at least April 18. The mandate was originally set to expire at the end of next week. Officials didn't offer a rationale for the decision, saying only that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was working with federal agencies to determine “when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor.”
A growing number of Americans are ready to move on from the pandemic. But it will take years to fully absorb and assess how profoundly the virus has transformed the country. To help people take stock of what we've gone through since March 2020, my colleagues and I created a series of questions and data visualizations related to some of the pandemic's most consequential issues and trends. Take a look and see how you fit in.
The two-year anniversary of the pandemic is especially solemn for those who lost loved ones in the early days of the crisis. Some are still dealing with funeral expenses and probate court cases. Others have gotten sick themselves. My colleague Antonio Olivio spoke with some of these early mourners about their struggles and about how they've found hope and closure amid the heartache.
Other important news
The pandemic isn't over, “but it is within our grasp to end it," a group of world leaders, economists, humanitarians, scientists and celebrities say in an open letter.
Fraudulent loans, identity theft, fake cures: The Justice Department reports more than $8 billion in alleged fraud tied to federal coronavirus aid programs.
Travel is coming back. Here's what you need to know to navigate your next trip.
China’s legislative meeting ends amid the country's worst covid-19 outbreak in two years.
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And it's been over two weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine
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