For starters, the emergence of the Omicron variant did not quite live up to the hype. While it is more transmissible than the Alpha and Delta variants, it is far less virulent. Indeed, most who have been infected with it did not even require hospitalization; patients were able to receive treatment from home.

When the variant was first discovered in South Africa, the signs were promising that it would not be as deadly as previous strains. Only 1.7 percent of patients infected were admitted to the hospital in the second week of infections. This is far less than the 19 percent that was admitted under Delta. Joe Phaahla, South Africa’s minister of health told Reuters:

“We believe that it might not necessarily just be that Omicron is less virulent, but … coverage of vaccination [and] … natural immunity of people who have already had contact with the virus is also adding to the protection.”

Dr. Angelique Coetzee, National Chair of the South African Medical Association, and one of the first who discovered Omicron, criticized the U.S. for imposing travel bans in response. She told Reuters that the variant was not worth “the hype.” She said:

“The hype that’s been created currently out there in the media and worldwide doesn’t correlate with the clinical picture. And it doesn’t warrant to just cut us off from any traveling, and bans South Africa as if we are the villains in the whole process — should not be like that.”

She also explained that based on the mild symptoms they’re seeing, “there’s no reason for panicking, as we don’t see severely ill patients.”

But that’s not all.

It appears Americans are no longer as fixated on the COVID-19 pandemic as the left would like. The results of a recent poll showed that the public is more concerned with the economy than with the coronavirus. Only 37 percent of respondents said the virus is one of their top five priorities for the government to address in 2022. About 53 percent said it was the leading priority in the previous year. Indeed, 68 percent of participants indicated the economy was a top concern in 2022, with 14 percent saying inflation is also an important issue.

As time goes on it would not be surprising to see other polls in which respondents push COVID further down the list of priorities – and this might happen sooner rather than later. With the midterm campaigns ramping up, issues like education, inflation, immigration, and others will become more prominent in people’s minds.

Of course, it is also worth mentioning how the left is reacting to this new trend. They are not exactly happy about the fact that people are not staying at home, curled up in the fetal position, terrified about COVID. RedState’s Brandon Morse wrote a piece detailing how various members of the activist media are reacting to the fact that popular television shows like “Sex and the City” are not even mentioning the pandemic. He wrote:

If the Sex and the City reboot constantly revolved around a virus instead of women loving and lusting in the city, then people wouldn’t watch. They’re there to watch Carrie navigate sexual relationships, not preach about the importance of masks.

At this point, Americans are growing increasingly weary of the virus and all the annoying fearmongering that comes with it. People are ready to fully live their lives again and are not keen on the idea of having lockdown orders and mandates get in their way. It is one of the reasons why so many are fleeing blue states that have seized on the opportunity to use the pandemic as an excuse to become more authoritarian.

It may not happen tomorrow. But if current signs are any indication, America will finally be ready to put the COVID-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, especially as it gets closer to the midterm elections. The question is: How much longer can the Democrats exploit COVID-19?