Anyone traveling to Europe soon or know someone who is, specifically, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Greece or Finland? And, it’s not just Europe. Australia is apparently experiencing yet another spike in coronavirus cases. UGH! Some believe we need to take heed as our country will likely follow suit.

Jude Dean, a subscriber, called the office last Friday with a couple questions hoping I could offer some assistance. It was a welcome change to have someone interested in getting specific questions answered. Those questions and answers follow. 

The warmer temperatures are a welcome change to the winter weather we’ve experienced the past weeks. It’s a taste of what’s to come when spring arrives to stay this year. I’m ready, are you?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that vaccine boosters lose their potency after four months.

How many times can one write about masks, I asked myself, as I decided what to write this week? Apparently at least one more time.

Risk. It is a part of our everyday life. Every choice we make from the moment we wake until we go to sleep has risk associated with every decision we make.

Ever wonder how the new variants are being discovered?

Have you received yours? The free tests that were ordered online at covidtests.gov have begun to arrive in mailboxes around the country.

You get a test. And you get a test. And you get a test. And you get a test.

Have you heard of “Flurona”? It’s the term being used to describe patients who have both coronavirus and influenza at the same time. Otherwise known as a co-infection.

The winter surge is occurring all over the country, especially in densely populated areas. Omicron seems to be the primary culprit.

So, here we are. With the close of this holiday season, we are about to witness the end of yet another year of living within the confines of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Milestones. Some are good and some are not so good, or might even be classified as bad or devastating, depending on what the milestone is.

So, there’s a very small test. Small in the number of so called participants.

By the time this week’s column publishes, I will have received my booster shot, and my flu shot.

Omicron. The word sounds ominous. And, depending on who you talk to or what news sources you read or listen to, it may be presented as such.

You get a booster. And, you get a booster. And, you get a booster. Well, at least if you choose to anyway.

Have you paid any attention to the recent Madison County Record polls on the Opinion page? Maybe you even participated in the poll? If so, thank you for doing so. 

Do you think you will be able to tell if you, or someone in your family, or a friend, become will this fall or winter with a fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue or one of several other symptoms that are shared by those who contract the flu or Covid-19?

Time marches on, the world continues to turn and Covid-19 persists around the world.