Kansas City Playlist: Local Life After COVID OR Pandemic Forever?!?!

In this post we consider "many sides" of the fight for the future of the pandemic.

There are reasons to be hopeful and cautious . . .

And so we take yet another quick glimpse at the sitch that doesn't offer much assurance either way . . .

As always we start local . . .

Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations drop in Kansas City metro area
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) --- There's some encouraging news on the Covid-19 front in the Kansas City metro area. Cases and hospitalizations have dropped significantly since last week. In some instances, local counties have seen cases drop by nearly 30 percent since this time last weekend.

However, it's important to at least acknowledge the big picture and a bit of disappointment amid continued tragedy . . .

US Covid death toll surpasses 900,000
Propelled in part by the wildly contagious Omicron variant, the US death toll from Covid-19 hit 900,000 on Friday, less than two months after eclipsing 800,000. The two-year total, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is greater than the population of Indianapolis, San Francisco, or Charlotte, North Carolina.

And then there's all of this to consider as well . . .

Opinion | China's Forever War Against Covid-19
It's been two years almost exactly since my first Covid column. Looking back, the first two paragraphs largely exhausted a horse that I would flog to death in dozens of columns since. First, thanks to the underreported prevalence of mild and symptomless cases in Wuhan, the disease was likely already present globally and in the U.S.

White House gets set for cautious pivot on pandemic
The White House is preparing to pivot on the pandemic - but with a different approach than the July 4 celebration last summer that some have subsequently criticized as premature. "No one wants a repeat of last July," said one Democratic strategist. At the Independence Day event, President Biden Joe Biden Jan.

Coronapod: what people get wrong about endemic COVID
The word endemic is often mistakenly used to describe a rosy end to the pandemic where COVID-19 becomes a mild, but ever-present infection akin to the common cold. But this is by no means guaranteed and the reality could be much less favourable.

Opinion | How can we stop the next Covid surge? Assume it's coming.
There's an old adage in public health about a village by a river. Every few days, the story goes, villagers hear cries for help coming from the river and pull out people who are drowning. This cycle repeats itself, over and over.

Why Jackass Forever Is the Perfect Film to Boost COVID-Era Box Office
Paramount's low-budget stunt film hits theaters along with Lionsgate's "Moonfall" After two weeks of no major new releases, the box office is finally getting a little bit of new material as Paramount's "Jackass Forever" and Lionsgate's "Moonfall" hit theaters.

Again, looking for a definitive course of action is nearly impossible for all but the most partisan hacks.

Meanwhile, growing confusion amongst the plebs is understandable.

To be fair, TKC isn't a doctor and NEVER wants to give any kind of advice that could negatively impact readers who shouldn't be counting on the Internets for health advice anyhoo.

Accordingly, as is our tradition, we simply share tonight's playlist on the topic of uncertainty . . .

A classic song about choices . . .