o - m - cron, such lovely colors you have

Day five of this coronavirus inflammation disease - better known by its nickname, COVID - has me not quite back to myself, but the headache is gone, the infrequent coughing has ground to a halt, the drip from the sinuses seems to have given up the ghost, and the bouts of sneezing have ceased trying to find new nostrils to infect.

i thank You, God.

Once I test negative, to confirm I'm clean, I know I won't be liable to catch it again for at least three months.

That's the window of freedom opened by the antigens my body had to create to rid itself of the virus.

However, that does raise an issue.

How best to clean the house, to make sure I don't unintentionally carry it back into the world with me?

If this had been the result of a summer cold virus, I'd change the bedding and the towels, wipe down the furniture, and do a load of laundry.

So, I'll do those things for removing this virus, too, though my house has a secret weapon: no air conditioning.

SARS-CoV-2 cannot survive at temperatures higher than 85 F.

In Savannah right now, the literal highs are in the upper 90's and the figurative highs another ten or more degrees further up the thermometer.

That novel coronavirus, and its many variant offspring, can curl up and die from the heat!

Of course, I won't quite be able to pull that off until I have a nice cool place to escape to for a while, and that won't be until I test negative...

but I swear I notice a difference in the air during the heat of the day, a more clean, more clear, more healthy air.

Speaking of "many variant offspring", aka mutations, do you wonder which one I have?

Well, to be sure it's of the omicron flavor...

but that beastie has six problematic forms.

Here's the thing, though.

As shown by the change in color as time (the bottom axis) has proceeded forward since March 19, 2022, up to June 18, 2022, more than one variant is always the cause of the week's infections...

and that's just what the CDC can tell from those who seek care from a hospital.

Last week, when I was infected at the baseball game, there were four different omicron variants at play.

As I did not go to the hospital, any one of the four could be the one that tagged me out.

Definitely need a score card to know the players in the game, that's for sure.
So, was it the BA.2.12.1, that variant given that richly salmon-colored hue?

That's quite probable, as it was responsible for most of the hits made that week.

However, notice the dark teal bar for BA.5 - that one's coming up fast and far outstripping the BA.4 that preceded it in time.

I predict that BA.5 will be the powerhouse hitter in the next week or two.

As for BA.2, dressed in pink as were the Flamingoes that night, chances are it was too far on its way out to have had the ability to do me in.

Still, it could have been any of those four, or even some new one not in plentiful enough quantity to be represented on this legend.

And just why are there so many variants of the omicron version of the original virus running all over the place?

People are traveling, and they bring their home-boys with them whither they go.

You'd think folks would avoid the southern states in the summer, because of the severe heat or chance of hurricanes, but you would be incorrect.

Disney calls, and they must answer.

After all, this is when all the kids are out of school!

It's summer vacation!

And the multiple versions of the coronavirus are able to mix together and make new variants, possibly as strong as the original, or maybe just a few steps beyond a summer cold virus.

We'll see in the fall, shan't we?