I feel entitlement-vibes

Actually, Covid is just a new variant of the Common Cold. The problem is that word "new". Because we had never met it before, it spread faster, more easily, and was far more severe, especially in older people with weakened imune systems.

And of course, the press spread absolute nonsense because they're not interested in investigative journalism any more (not that the gutter press ever were). I remember someone (no names, no pack drill) saying "even our grandparents never saw anything like that". EXCUSE ME??? All four of my grandparents lived through the 1919 Spanish Flu epidemic which was *much* worse. (Admittedly both my maternal grandparents were children, my paternal grandparents were in their 20s.)

We had a very similar epidemic round about 1890 (just before my grandparents were born), that killed thousands upon thousands in the UK. And we now understand it much better because we realised that (a) the virus behind that epidemic was THE common cold virus (okay there are a fair few different viruses but that virus is now the one behind 30-40% of all cases of the Common Cold) and (b) Covid is almost the same virus. Which to some extent makes sense because kids (a) are used to meeting all sorts of new bugs, and (b) have strong immune systems. So kids never *seemed* to catch it. But older people with weaker but more experienced immune systems were knocked sideways because they'd never met this particular virus before. Older people don't have (that) much problem coping with new variants of old cold viruses because they don't change much, but a completely new cold virus is another story!

And talking of stories, those into Royal History may know that Princess Mary of Teck came from Denmark to marry the Prince of Wales (who she'd never met). When she arrived, she was told "The Prince of Wales has died," (from this very epidemic) "would you like to marry the new Prince of Wales?". To which she replied "I came to marry the Prince of Wales, so I'll marry him, whichever that Prince may be". And the couple are now known to history as King Geeorge V & Queen Mary.

Cheers,
Wol