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COVID-19: Other major issues needing attention

Over the weekend the Associated Press reported on an AP-NORC poll indicating that people are finding more things to worry about these days than COVID-19.

Pushing the pandemic off the front burner is the economy. While concern about how the COVID pandemic is handled waned from 53% a year ago to 37% today, inflation and personal finance are considered a top concern to 68%.

Pandemic fatigue is setting in. If we’re not tired of hearing about COVID-19, we’re at least getting used to it. At some point, people want to live their lives, and risking a COVID infection may be taking on the aspect of risking a traffic accident — it’s out there, it happens, but we’re still going to keep driving.

We don’t need to stop at our country’s borders to find things to worry about. Putin is threatening the Ukraine again, and making hefty demands that NATO pull back from signing up more of its neighbors. North Korea has started shooting off missiles again.

In matters of international diplomacy, it is always helpful to present a united front to the rest of the world, and frankly, the United States hasn’t been able to do that since the days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

When you come right down to it, COVID may be the one worry we can do something about. We can get vaccinated, wear masks ,practice social distancing and keep washing hands like crazy. If only inflation and international standoffs could be handled as easily.

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