COVID will continue to transition to an endemic disease, something that certainly is not great, but not nearly as deadly as before, a virus that we can get on with our lives and live with just like the common Flu or Cold. From the "Letter from the Chairman". Unfortunately - and I don't blame CR, his expertise lies elsewhere - this serves to reinforce the common misconception that an "endemic disease" is automatically also harmless, as is supposedly the common Flu. Neither of which is true: smallpox was endemic across much of the world for centuries, and it killed hundreds of millions of people before eventually being eradicated. HIV/AIDS, Malaria, measles and a bunch of other serious infectious diseases are all endemic in some or all parts of the world. As is Influenza aka the Flu, which is a serious illness - as anyone who ever had it can attest to. Actual Influenza, not the sort of severe (head) cold that is often mistaken for it. You've probably all heard of the Influenza pandemic of 1918/19 that killed up to 100 million people around the world, the majority of them in the prime of their life (20-40 years old). What's fascinating even in contemporary reports is the bewilderment by doctors and patients how something that is "just a Flu" could cause so much pain and death. So while I welcome the easing of Covid restrictions as much as anyone else, I'm also under no illusions that this virus will continue to haunt us for a long time. Stay safe, Citizens! (sorry for the somewhat off topic, well, topic of this thread. Also full disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, virologist, disease specialist or otherwise professionally involved in the field.)