Plagues have been around since the time of the Pharaohs: What caused the plague that killed a million Americans? Bad luck? Nature, the result of germs morphing in bats in caves in Wuhan? A blunder by scientists in labs making biological weapons? The Good Book tells us in ancient times God allowed plagues to show people the error of their ways.

Covid raged, then waned, fear subsided, and we went back to our old ways.

I always thought, Plagues strike, people die, you get herd immunity, plagues end. It turns out I was wrong: The other day I read an article that said the germs that cause plagues morph and change. That the Covid germ is changing. Rapidly, and we may end up with a variant that’s more deadly than the germ that killed a million Americans.

Proud men tell themselves they have the power to crush enemies – including plagues. But, maybe, during Covid we should have learned a lesson and left pride behind – and not gone back to our old ways.