While the pandemic is receding, it’s not nearly as bad as it was at it’s peak. People are still dying, mostly those who have multiple risk factors (elderly, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.) and those who refused to get vaccinated (i.e., Republicans).

Meanwhile, people have stopped wearing their masks and flu season has arrived. With a vengeance.

It’s looking like this is the worst season for flu in several years.

One to the things that annoys me (one of the many things) is that so many people tend to equate the flu with the common cold. People talk about cold and flu season. While it’s true that for many people, a bout of the flu can seem like just a bad cold (or a very bad cold), for many others it can be far worse—or even deadly.

I’ve had, I think, at least three bouts of the flu (perhaps more, as it’s possible some of my childhood “colds” were really the flu), and each of them was a bitch. Not something I’d wish on anyone. It’s not just the stuffy nose and the cough, but the fever and the chills and the muscle aches and the feeling that it’s never gonna end. 

So I really don’t want to catch the flu again.

Still, like most folks, I’ve pretty much stopped wearing a mask in public. But I’m still careful. I go to the Acme or other stores early in the morning when there are no crowds, and I use self checkout where it’s available.

On the other hand, when I go the an orchestra concert, I do wear a mask until I get to my seat. Since my seat is a second tier box with no one in front of or behind me, I feel comfortable being maskless during the concert itself.

Still I worry. It’s not just the flu. Covid is still with us. Maybe I should start wearing a mask again even for shopping. At least for the duration of cold and flu season. Better to be too careful than to be sorry.