Where is the common cold?

"Maybe next year, once most become vaccinated and herd immunity sets in, the common flu and common cold will make a return. Or maybe some of the sanitation tricks we have learned this year will continue into next." 

I don't know about anybody else, but not only have I not had the common cold this season, nor has my wife, but I don't know of anyone who has. In fact, I have heard others remark on the same thing. It is as if the common cold just vanished this year. Kind of like the common flu. If not for Covid -19, this would have been the most remarkable year for staying healthy. 

Is it wearing a mask which cut down on the spread of the common cold? Maybe. The common cold is still a virus, and most viruses are so tiny, they can slip though the fabric of most masks. Is it sneezes and coughs being caught in someone's mask, rather than being spread into the air? Could be. But this is another oddity. It was very rare this year to hear anyone sneeze or cough when we were out and about. Like, almost never happened.

Maybe it is the ubiquitous hand sanitizers. People contently sanitizing or washing their hands. Now we might be getting somewhere. President Trump was always a bit hesitant to shake hands, as he knew that was a primary way of spreading germs and viruses. So this past year, shaking hands was a no-no, and cleaning our hands became a constant. 

Maybe next year, once most become vaccinated and herd immunity sets in, the common flu and common cold will make a return. Or maybe some of the sanitation tricks we have learned this year will continue into next. As much as I yearn to return to normal, the "normal" thing of having a common cold is not something I care about. But it is what it is. I would take a common cold over something sinister like Covid - 19, any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

Today, I am headed out to get my first haircut of the year. For sure, I need one. I did not want to wear a mask when I got a haircut. I hate those things. Now that my wife and I have had both shots, with some "gestation" time for the immunity to set in, it is time to get "high and tight" once again. 

2021 could be a very good year. Could be. Other than what is going on in Washington right now, we all have reasons to be optimistic. Besides all of which, this weekend, daylight savings starts. Spring - we are SO ready for you this year! Bring it on!