You have to use it in your language.

I never talk about "the pandemic." When I talk about the last year, I talk about about "the shutdowns" or "the hysteria." I do not say the words "pandemic" or "the virus" at all because neither of those things impacted my life whatsoever. I literally do not know a single person who died from this thing, and that includes friends of friends.

And I supposedly live in a hot zone! Haha