The pandemic is over,

How do I know?

You can take off your mask,

The CDC says so.

The virus contained?

The vulnerable protected?

Transmissions down?

No more variants, surges suspected?

Crack open the champagne,

And burst into song!

The pandemic is over, right?

Um… well… truthfully? WRONG.

“I don’t understand.

I heard COVID’s endemic.

The CDC map is yellow,

Surely, you’re being polemic?”

The CDC looked at transmission,

At community spread.

All round the country,

90% was all red.

But the CDC changed its mind,

As government is wont to do.

Turned its eyes to hospitalizations,

So that map looked all new.

In a matter of minutes,

Shifting quickly from red to yellow.

Allowing the CDC,

Its masking guidelines to mellow.

But go back to the webpage,

Take another look.

Enter transmissions,

Promise, you’ll be shook.

Most of the country,

Is still in the red.

Transmissions are high,

Translation: so is COVID spread.

“C’mon! We have vaccines,

And COVID is mild!

The high-risk can still mask,

Why are you acting so wild?”

43% are high-risk.

That’s a lot of people.

Have you forgotten what you learned,

In the sanctuary under that steeple?

Public health is about everybody,

Every person, every ONE.

Not just the healthy and the rich,

The white, or when it’s fun.

Because the child who’s battling cancer,

Already has their own fight.

Why must we make it harder,

Send them to school, few masks in sight?

Or children under 5,

Who can’t even get vaccines.

Too small to wear masks.

Remember, they’re not in their teens.

And only 40% of kids,

Have had a COVID shot.

Meaning masks are still essential,

Do you need more food for thought?

Children can carry COVID home,

Transmit it to those they hold most dear

Over 200,000 have lost a parent, a caregiver to COVID;

Their absolute worst fear.

As to COVID being mild,

Mild is relative, we are learning.

Thousands suffer from Long-COVID,

That should get us all burning.

Heart disease and brain damage,

The list is serious and long.

COVID toes, suicides, brain fog,

Wait, could the word “mild” be wrong?

We may not know for years,

All the damage COVID’s wreaked.

We’d be wise to consider,

Perhaps COVID hasn’t peaked.

You see, the word “endemic,”

Suggests we have control.

That the risk of other variants,

Won’t appear and steamroll.

Yet the BA.2 variant of Omicron,

Is already here.

More contagious than Omicron itself,

Some warn another surge is near.

We only need look,

To Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore.

But the CDC and the masses,

Don’t want to listen anymore.

“We are SO over COVID,

It’s time to move on!

Stay home if you like,

Keep on your own lawn!

You’re just a drama queen,

And one of the sheeple.

Wear a mask if you ‘feel safer.’

You’re in the minority, not one of the people.

And we’ll respect your kids’ ‘choice,’

To wear a mask at school.

Yes, going maskless might put them at mortal risk.

No wait… That sounds cruel…”

And so, we see, the truth comes out.

This isn’t really about science.

If it were, you’d understand,

I’m not speaking in defiance.

I don’t wear a mask to “feel safer,”

Because I like it, or it’s cool.

I wear it because I AM safer.

It’s science; I’m no fool.

As we near a million deaths,

It’s clear we’re inured.

“What’s 1,000 more a day?

My natural immunity! It’s like, I’m cured!”

We’ve entrusted our kids to adults.

They’ve failed, colossally, it’s clear.

Here I stand, a lone voice,

COVID is airborne, do you hear?

Vaccines alone won’t stop it.

Removing masks makes it worse.

We need all forms of mitigation,

Pretending it’s gone is just perverse.

You may call me Henny Penny,

Or say I’m making a big fuss.

You may be done with COVID, but I promise you,

COVID isn’t done with us.

 

Hilary Koch is a resident of Waterville.