It means very little other than the nature of our own human dysfunction. We have as a society become cavalier, careless, thrown disruptive caution overboard, four sheets slaughtered by the wind, we have become sick of all of this and are becoming sick from all of this.
This is currently the first significant viral season we have seen since covid raised its indomitable little fuzzy head. Those covid years were just that, covid. People died, constantly, consistently, and without season. In those years we saw very little to no influenza, croup, rsv, and blah blah blah all the many many other sessional viruses we don't for practical reasons even bother to test for. This year we are virally overrun, covid just one of the equal-opportunity players. And it is just the beginning of the season.
Constantly, all day long in emergency, 2-month-olds to 100+ year-olds, variable viral symptoms, more upper respiratory than other, a high percent testing positive for influenza, covid, rsv, because that's what we are testing for. But doesn't really matter, no real treatment for any of the viruses, stomp on the symptoms and do that in-house if you need a bigfoot. Point is, this is the first bad other viral season since covid came to town. That said, we on the front line would take this over the covid years in a heartbeat, and thank the gods we still have one.
Speculation as to how and why covid has been currently tamed and the reemergence with a vengeance of the classic viral seasons is mostly meaningless. Clearly, masks, immunizations, isolation, and transmission precautions are the big ones. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a straight-up fool. History will call their delicate little asses out for a showing. Debates among the amateurs, the imposter professionals, those with personal gains, and those idle and intellectually impoverished, are only a sideshow, step right up, the bearded lady wants a hug. The fat lady is never going to sing.
So reality is the real loser, a persistent undertone of anxiety and uncertainty in our patients, a conspiracy of covid, influenza, and rsv joining forces to conquer the world, in collusion with the Russians and Chinese no doubt, financed by the pharmaceutical cartels, controlled and fine-tuned via the covid chips, all orchestrated no doubt by Musk. Musk who will ride it all out on Mars........