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Even though I’ve been in the news business my entire working life, there are news stories even I don’t want to hear myself broadcasting.

Especially stories like this:

“The is now taking hold in the U.S. — 10% now and doubling every two weeks. It’s the most contagious variant yet and even infecting those who are partially vaccinated.”

Well, I’m fully vaccinated, but that’s pretty much the last thing I wanted to hear.

Here’s something else I didn’t want to hear:

“The scary part of that is also — when we look at India and China — the folks who have the Delta variant are actually sicker. They’re at higher risk of getting ICU admission and higher risk of death,” said , chair of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Hospital.

So that tells me we have potentially a more dangerous virus that will spread and therefore mutate, and with enough mutation, it might eventually get lucky and outflank the vaccine.

Which is frustrating because I spent all of last year binge-watching this exact same movie.

But here’s the difference: I am going to pay attention to this depressing story and plan my defense now. And, yes, it’s right here – this package of official American-made N-95 NIOSH-approved clamshell surgical masks, which don’t just protect you from me, but also protect me from you. The package says they’re good for two years. And when I put one of these on, I won’t even smell what’s for breakfast. You could sing a Wagner aria directly into my face, and the viral fragments would just bounce off.

Am I some kind of paranoid prepper? No!

I just don’t want to be sitting here in September reading that the real masks are all sold out and the lines for booster shots stretch around the block, beating myself up because I didn’t buy a $2 mask back in June when I had the chance. So, I bought 20.

And having just heard my commentary – I’m thinking of buying 20 more. I hear fire season might also have a sequel.

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on ³ÉÈËXÕ¾ Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.