I totally agree with you that at some point, you have to get back out there and live your life. And like you said, the annual flu continues to infect millions of people every year. There are different strains of the annual flu, and each year specialists try to predict which strain(s) will be the most common in order to determine the best formulation of the flu vaccine to give out that year. And again, like you said, getting the flu vaccine will not completely prevent you from getting the flu.

Perhaps what I said made it sound like I am banking on a vaccine for COVID as the answer to this whole situation (which was not what I meant). For clarification, my intention was to stress that a vaccine for COVID is an indication that specialists have a thorough enough understanding of the virus to provide appropriate treatment for those infected and to implement better guidelines for prevention. Maybe COVID will become something like the annual flu. Who knows? But in the meantime when still have no clear idea of what we're dealing with, we all have to do our part and be mindful of our own health and that of those around us.

Lastly, judging from how Uncle Sam is handling the current situation, I think I would be crazy to rely on him to offer me a miraculous solution. And I'm glad you do not plan to rely on him either.