The last major hurdle for declaring the end of the pandemic will be soon upon us. The Big-Pharma combine of Pfizer and BioNTech has asked the Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization for their Covid-19 vaccine to be given to children under the age of five. It will be a two shot regimen of a lower dose than given to 6-12 year olds, with plans to add a booster down the road following additional approval. Everyone will be eligible to receive this very valuable protection and at no cost.

Once significant numbers of young children are given an opportunity for a high level of immunity (or their parents have refused) our society will have progressed as far as it can in preventitive measures. It will be time to stop trying to prevent people (perhaps I meant stupid people) from contracting Covid-19.

The disease won't have been defeated, many will still get sick, many will still die. But as a reasonably free society we will have done everything that we can do to keep people from contracting the disease. The rest is up to them. If they aren't smart enough, then perhaps we will be better off without them.

At that time, Perhaps by May it will be time to call off all of the restrictions... no more mask requirements, no more social distancing, no more government or employer mandated vaccinations. Indoor venues can resume at full capacity. People can use public transportation without masks. Restaurants can serve their customers. Cruises lines can operate without restrictions. And stupid, careless people will still get sick and die-- sorry about that.

Unfortunately, hospitals and healthcare providers will still be overworked. Perhaps that is the new normal. It might help if they paid their best workers better. CHI Franciscan just spent over half a billion dollars building a new medical center in our area. Business is good for them, the more people who get sick the more money they make. It's just government money paying for it anyway. Cry me a river.