Is This Coronavirus Thing Getting Old?

Since its worldwide debut in December 2019, one viral Chinese sensation has become a hot topic internationally, especially in the U.S. However, as it becomes more and more talked about, many have grown fatigued by the thousands of discussions and Buzzfeed articles regarding the subject.

“Really, it was cool at first, but it was obvious that there was pretty much no long-term appeal to it. It was mainly popular due to trends and media coverage,” resident Spectator commentator Journeyman Barnacle says. “It’s a fad that I’m frankly tired of. It’s been done to death, so honestly, can we just get over it already?”

However, the new U.K. strain has seemed to revitalize public interest in the coronavirus, at least for the time being. But this may just be a false sign of a resurgence, says January Brickhead, another one of the Spectator’s unpaid commentators. “This always happens. There will invariably be subpar sequels and spin-offs made to capitalize on a trend. This is not indicative of a return to the heights of popularity it was once at.”

However, some people are happy that the hype is dying down. “I’m glad because I’ve been following the coronavirus since it came out,” states Jamandtoast Butterbread, a random person who hangs around the Humor department to talk about his opinion, despite the fact that no one cares. “I knew about it before it was cool, and now 110 million people are following it, just because it’s mainstream? It’s disgusting how people will bandwagon just about anything.”

The popularity of the coronavirus has certainly had a major impact on the cultural scene as a whole, sparking numerous imitators hoping to cash in on the success of the original. Last year, hantavirus was announced but failed to create the same widespread impact as did the coronavirus. More recently, Russia unveiled the first human cases of the H5N8 bird flu, and many are claiming that it will be the next big thing, while others have criticized it for its unoriginality.

“I see at least one article about it every day in my newsfeed,” Barnacle lamented. “I don’t know why people are still so obsessed with it. Ultimately, it’s a trend that needs to die.”

Up next: Is the new South African strain of coronavirus finally the one that will give you sick superpowers?