Global Health Emergency Over

COVID-19 has been deemed "no longer a global health emergency" by the World Health Organization. This doesn't mean the pandemic is over. There was discussion about whether or not it had become "endemic" and the answer was no.

When I first heard this term, I thought that "endemic" meant "the end of the pandemic". But actually, an endemic is when a disease becomes a permanent fixture in our lives with an established pattern. Examples of endemics are influenza (the flu) and the common cold. All the variants have disqualified COVID as an endemic based on its unpredictability. However, it appears that the lethality has decreased to the point that it is no longer an emergency. It could still mutate and become an emergency again though.

I've become so much of a hypocrite when it comes to mask wearing. For a long time after the mandates dropped, I was diligent in making sure that I stayed masked regardless. It always seemed a little futile, since the idea is that wearing a mask doesn't protect you from others, it protects others from you. 

Eventually my fear decreased enough that I started modifying my behaviour based on social pressure. For example, if an Uber driver was wearing a mask, I would put one on, but if they weren't, I wouldn't. At this point in time, I still mask when I'm on public transit or if I'm grocery shopping. If I run into someone I know and they're not wearing one, I might unmask to talk to them. Totally hypocritical, "I'm going to protect myself unless I'm breathing in someone's face" 

If I go to a social event and no one else is wearing a mask, I won't. But I make sure to keep one on hand in case I run into a crowd that's COVID conscious. At my work, staff are still require to mask, but members aren't. That might change in the future based on this WHO update.

I think I might be immune. It was a hot topic for awhile that the virus impacts people to vastly different degrees, and that it's pretty random. Almost everyone I know, including Lee-Anne who tested positive while in our home, has caught it at some point. I've definitely had enough exposure to catch it, but I haven't. Two other people that haven't yet caught it are my mother and brother, so maybe it's a genetic thing. The fact that I'm four vaccines in probably helps too.

Otherwise, I somehow neglected to mention in my previous update about our new clean energy transport alternative, the rentable e-scooters and bikes called the Neuron, that we're going through a bus strike right now. Our lightrail, the Ion, is still running because a different organization is in charge of it.

This means that the Neuron is getting a huge spike in use by people that would otherwise ride the bus. This tempts me to get my conspiracy hat on. The buses strike right when this new system is put into place, and all the clean energy alternatives are still serviceable. Almost seems like it's been fabricated to get more people to try these options.

I don't know if that would be a good or bad thing. On one hand, it's getting lots of people to try these systems when they wouldn't otherwise, but it's still incredibly restricting for many people who don't have it as an option. There are still plenty of people that aren't on an Ion or Neuron route, and some people don't have a vehicle because they have a mobility restriction. The strike has halted our Mobility Plus service, a system for people who can't use public transport. In these cases the Neuron is usually inaccessible for them.

I don't actually believe that the bus strike is fabricated. That would require too much consensus between the city region and every single bus driver. At least the side effect of people giving clean energy alternatives a chance is a silver lining