“We are certainly right now in this country out of the pandemic phase,” Fauci told PBS Newshour, a statement he gave while the media was announcing that the VP has COVID, and that almost 60% of Americans have had COVID.

So, what phase are we in now, just endemic?

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/27/1094997608/fauci-us-pandemic-phase-covid-19

Later he stated – “The United States and the entire world is still experiencing a pandemic, but there are different phases of the pandemic,” he said. “And what we are in right now is somewhat of a transitional phase, out of the accelerated component into hopefully a more controlled component.”

So, we are still in a pandemic. Just not in the pandemic phase. We are having enough of an issue without this sort of muddy communication. 

To clarify for folks –

COVID-19 has killed nearly 1 million people in the U.S. — by far the most deaths reported by any country. It has taken a particularly brutal toll on Black people and other people of color, as well as on poorer communities without easy access to health care. While the U.S. is currently in a period of comparative calm, the coronavirus is raising alarms in other parts of the world, including China.

“Pandemic means a widespread throughout-the-world infection that spreads rapidly among people,” Fauci said. “So if you look at the global situation, there’s no doubt this pandemic is still ongoing.”

I will continue to be socially distant and wear my mask in any environment where I have to interact with folks. I am in a high risk group, as are many members of my immediate family.

I am not interested in dealing with unnecessary death, long covid, heart or brain damage  due to people willing to drop guard just because they are tired of fighting or simply don’t want to face the facts of this situation. 

There are people out there that are *still* actively ignorant either by will or design. My tolerance for them is extremely low these days. If they are lawmakers,  influencers like teachers or clergy, or people looking to make a buck off of suffering….you guys are murderers in my mind. An actual *MILLION* dead Americans. Countless others damaged for life. 

This is in no small part the fault of so many people that just couldn’t be bothered to just sit tight, had to just stir a pot full of poison, and help to distribute it to everyone with whom they interact. 

Government has its large share of blame, too, on both sides of the political aisle.

We could do better in the future. Will we? I suspect not, based on the last two years.

That makes me in almost equal parts angry, sad, and frightened.