I understand the rage and frustration of the Covidians. Despite their claims about Covid being suspect or plainly wrong, I also thought the pandemic was an augur of more change than actually occurred. We altered very little, really, and improved almost nothing. We let easy wins go: better air filtration and handling, mandated sick leave, childcare provisions, and the already-doomed (by Obama) hope of universal health care coverage.

Instead, we did just about nothing. I understand, then, why that leads to Covidians to make increasingly absurd claims (Long Covid will end civilization! The vaccines don’t really work!) about the pandemic and its aftereffects.

But wishing doesn’t make it true. Just as my wish that we’d done more had no effect. The fact is we did not and will not.