The May 21, Minneapolis Star Tribune had an excellent editorial as we continue in year four after “normal” came to be redefined in March, 2020.

The editorial is here, and worth your time: Covid-19 editorial StarTribune May 21 2023.

My handy counter says that Covid-19 came up 143 times in my blog since March of 2020.  The most recent was two years ago, 3-6-2021.  So for me personally, the first year was the big year.  At least in terms of being “newsworthy” at this space.

The STrib editorial urges us to not become complacent.  Eyes can glaze over with statistics.  The editorial notes that Minnesota deaths from Covid-19 more than equalled the total population of Roseau County in Minnesota (one of our 87 counties).  Among the rest of the United State’s Minnesota’s death rate was lower than 41 of the 50 states.

The last four words of the long editorial, Covid in its variations is  “… a still-dangerous virus”.

Personally, we’ve thus far escaped the virus: vaccinations, prudent behavior and, of course, good fortune have helped.

The virus doesn’t fly around like a mosquito, and manifests differently in different people.

For several days in late February, 2022, my roommate at UofM Hospital was a young man in the grips of long Covid, an awful fate.  My roomie was not contagious, of course.  As a young man he had been an AAU level basketball player; he was probably in his 40s when I met him, and he couldn’t walk more than a few steps, and he was very depressed.  He was about to be transferred to his third medical facility in two months for continued rehab.  I think of him often.

Like everyone else, we know people who’ve been afflicted with Covid.

A useful outcome of this pandemic has been more awareness of personal behaviors, vaccinations, etc.  I don’t hear many scoffers any more.  Decent behaviors, like reasonable social distance in things like waiting lines, have taken root.

Of course, nothing is universal, but there has been progress.

If you’re ‘healthy and well’ today, celebrate your good fortune.

And stay prudent and careful.