it's weird listening to a podcast from early last year hearing people talking about how they are dealing with the end of the pandemic. I definitely started going out more after I got vaccinated, no mask indoors and among people for recreational purposes, but I definitely wasn't seeing that as "the end of the pandemic" or "after COVID". Like, that wasn't even approximately true at any point. Leaving aside case rates in the US, pandemics are global by definition, and other countries weren't anywhere near the US in vaccine stock.

they just really seemed delusional. it was also sad because they seemed a bit screwy from living through the pandemic to that point.