Like so many people I’ve had the Covid-19 pandemic on a back burner for a good while. Other items have moved to the front burner(s). It seemed time to do a quick search engine checkup and investigate where things stand. Here are a few takeaways:

(1) The Covid-19 pandemic, now two years old, has claimed (low-estimate) 6 million lives worldwide, or one could make a strong case (high-estimate) 18 million lives. By contrast the Spanish Flu claimed 50 million lives in the world, back when the world population was one-fourth of today. So the Spanish Flu per capita death toll was more than 10 times greater than this pandemic (Covid 19). It was bad, real bad.

(2) The USA death INDEX during Covid-19 is about 110 (100 would be normal country deaths). The World death INDEX during Covid-19 is more like 117. My country, based on the facts/data, has fared better relatively speaking.

(3) There’s a variant at-present with the label BA.2 that’s driving case increases here and there around the globe. Not so much (knock on wood) in the USA.

(4) The World Health Organization (WHO) says the pandemic end date is a “way off”. The predictability of the disease, or lack thereof, is a key criteria in moving from pandemic to endemic and vice versa. Bottom line the WHO feels there are still more unpredictable waves to come.

As I strongly hinted at the beginning I for one am ready to return to normal. More than ready to be candid. Having done a little homework my sentiment hasn’t changed (I by the way am vaccinated, boosted, and had a very mild break-through case of Omicron BA.1 Covid). A return to normal doesn’t mean being reckless. It doesn’t mean ignoring science. I see it as a holistic, 360 assessment. Let me conclude with “Pray for Ukraine”.