StemCell Therapy

This is not a news report. It is my opinion column, on the Opinion page of your community newspaper. Nevertheless, I dont write about things I havent researched.

Apply whatever value to that you wish.

Can we please tone down the hysteria and put this in perspective? Lets examine what COVID-19 is not.

COVID-19 is not a reason to buy outrageous amounts of toilet paper.

COVID-19 is not the 1918 H1N1 (Spanish) flu pandemic, before flu vaccine development. Estimates are 500 million were infected and about 50 million died as the disease raced around the world at the speed of trains and steamboats. In the U.S., 675,000 people died.

COVID-19 is not the 2009 version of the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic, which infected nearly 61 million Americans, and killed 12,469.

COVID-19 is not the 1921 diphtheria epidemic, with 206,000 cases and 15,520 deaths across all age groups of the 106 million people then living in the U.S. That was a nearly 8 percent death rate of those infected.

COVID-19 is not even remotely like those three events, with only about a 1.4 percent death rate nationally.

Today, diseases (and information) travel by jet and internet. The world knew instantly that Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, on location in Australia, tested positive for COVID-19. They recovered without hospitalization.

COVID-19 is not this years influenza. Americans are apparently not afraid of the flu any more because about 43 percent of them fear the shot and dont get vaccinated. Nor do they rush out annually to stockpile toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

Perspective: Imagine that when the flu season happens each year, news media would breathlessly report (with bold capital headlines) every new case, every day. The news would seem truly catastrophic, reflecting the 38 million U.S influenza cases this season, with 400,000 hospitalized. The flu has killed 24,000 Americans. A half-million may die worldwide in a typical season.

Perspective: Suggested Lewiston Tribune poll question If you are one of those who avoid the flu vaccine, will you get the COVID-19 vaccine when one is developed?

COVID-19 is not a reason for the news media to flash the number of coronavirus cases and deaths on TV in real time, goosing your panic every four seconds to believe were literally going up in smoke.

The Lewiston-Clarkston Valley is not New York City. And no matter how badly Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wants to be the center of attention, one nursing home in Kirkland does not represent Washington. If not for that one facility, Washington statistics would not stand out.

As this is written, New York City, with about 2.5 percent of the nations population, has about 42 percent of the national coronavirus associated deaths. New York City has about 27,000 people per square mile. Imagine Lewiston with 522,912 people. Thats New York City. If one person sneezes, 13 people reach for a hanky.

New York City is a laboratory for COVID-19. It wont be surprising if most in that teeming ball of earthworms get the disease as if I needed any more reasons to not visit.

COVID-19 does not kill directly. Death comes from respiratory complications, i.e., pneumonia. This mutated cousin of the common cold virus wasnt around when immune systems were young and vital, and immune systems weaken with age. This may be why most young folks are not showing symptoms. Most of them could suffer a slight cough and wont notice a mild fever. Their most serious problem will be a restricted social life.

This is all logical and provable by cases to date. Nationally, nearly 99 percent with COVID-19 symptoms recover without hospitalization. Most deaths were older and/or already at risk, with compromised respiratory or immune systems.

Perspective about statistics: In any reasonable statistical analysis, New York City, despite the national news exposure its getting, would be thrown out of the national calculation as what is known as an outlier. The same is true of the Kirkland nursing home for Washingtons statistics. The presumption that every major city (or the nation) will follow New York Citys (or Italys) pattern in a few weeks is just hysterical statistical nonsense.

Perspective: Comparing American statistics to China, Italy or Iran is likewise wrong. With among the worlds highest populations of at-risk seniors and relatively high numbers of smokers, those countries are naturally more susceptible. In addition, thousands of Wuhan Chinese workers traveled to Italy and Iran for a massive infrastructure construction program. New York Citys first case reportedly came from an Iranian immigrant.

Perspective: Normally, of Chinas 1.4 billion people, about 28,000 people die every day. The Chinese coronavirus death toll is about three hours of an average Thursday. The Chinese deserve credit for even noticing this outbreak with only a few thousand extra deaths, mostly health-compromised elderly.

COVID-19 is not the 2003 SARS epidemic (another Chinese coronavirus), which infected 8,098 people worldwide and killed 774, nearly 10 percent of patients, compared, again, to COVID-19s roughly 1.4 percent.

Perspective: In America normally, between 3,000 and 7,000 people die every day from something. About 700 of those are Californians. Yet Californias COVID-19 death rate is about one person for every 250,000 citizens.

Gov. Inslee adds to the panic by reacting as if every positive COVID-19 tests results in intensive-care hospitalization. That is not what is happening. What is happening is that increased testing results in more positives, not a more serious disease. Over-reacting stupidly does not solve a problem.

America was poorly prepared for a truly lethal pandemic. Our outsize reaction may be good practice for if and when a truly lethal disease erupts, but the real danger now is the increased hysteria destroying the economy.

Im 72, a child of the Greatest Generation and a former soldier myself. Id rather catch this damned disease and trust my immune system to beat it than watch the media and political idiots distort events, trying to damage this president.

Whether you like the man or not, the president is demonstrating uncommon and laudable leadership; America is fortunate to have him.

Rogers of Clarkston is a retired manager at CCI-Speer (now Vista Outdoor). His email address is rrogerr76@gmail.com.

Read more from the original source:
Commentary: I'll trust my immune system over the media - Lewiston Morning Tribune

This entry was posted on April 7, 2020 at 9:43 pm and is filed under Immune System. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |