The Pandemic is Not Over

Although most of us are trying to get back to normal, and some of us don’t yet realize how scarred we are from the last sixteen months (myself included), we would do well to remind ourselves every day that COVID is not “dead.” In fact, it is alive and well in many places, which means people are not well. The developing (read: poor) world does not have ready access to a vaccine; many nations are still isolating, and people are still dying.

 

I am particularly aware of this because for the first time in almost a year, the church I attend is canceling services for tomorrow. I won’t get into the specifics, but some members are quarantined and have been exposed to an outbreak of the virus.

 

We can become too lax. I plan to wear a mask in flu season. It was wonderful not to get a cold, flu, or strep last year. In a weird turn of events, I was healthier last school year than I’ve been in decades. I’m in public around a lot of people, old and young. There is no reason to be foolish about it.

 

However, one thing I am sick of hearing is the saw “follow the science.” What does that mean? It’s just a cliché some have picked up to say they thought Donald Trump was stupid, to defend Anthony Fauci (a fallen hero?), or to support masking and lock downs. Its use by some also means they don’t understand what science is. Science is not absolute truth. Science is a field of human knowledge that is constantly growing, changing, morphing, evolving. Scientists can be wrong. Science is about process and the results of the process, not some magical, almighty cabal’s pronouncement, especially when that cabal works for the federal government.

 

Many people who say they follow science don’t understand the difference between various vaccine therapies, what a delta variant is, or any number of things. What they are saying is “I follow the scientists I like or who are on the media outlets I like.”

 

I can’t say I follow the science because I’m not a virologist. I confess to trying to read a variety of sources and taking the middle road of risk without driving myself insane. There are enough other sources in my life trying to do that. 

 

That said, I’m glad the church’s leadership is playing it safe and trying to avoid further spread.