The Toll
The English poet, John Donne wrote a famous ending line in Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII, later a portion which Ernest Hemingway used in his famous novel about the 1930 Spanish Civil war.
‘’…any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore, never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.”
The latest national pandemic death toll is 47,272. That’s what the government experts who monitor the reports from each state released for publication. Strangely when the passing’s are reported, sometimes the expression “patient had tested positive for Covad-19 prior to their death” not the patient “died of Covad-19”.
It’s well recognized that this is a heinous version of the flu but a dig into the statistics reported find that of the number deaths reported, less than 30 were under the age of 18 according to the CDC website. The vast majority of those dying are averaging 65+ with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, etc. The question is simply what was the cause of death, the pandemic or something else accelerated by the Covad-19?
The prevention of a healthy 40-year-old working is not a viable solution to the spread of the virus, it only adds to the economic chaos. Nor does a mandate that causes small businesses shutter, while the owners watch their life’s work destroyed, make any sense. The current worldwide solution to this pandemic is akin to killing a flea with an atomic weapon.
Every day, the nightly newscasters emphasize the horrors of reopening the country. The analysis bordered on hysterical when pictures of people on a beach in Jacksonville, Florida were shown. Certain agenda driven politicians rushed to express their rage at folks hanging at the beach. Unreported though, was the fact that the “flu” was not spreading like wildfire in that area, according to the data on the city’s medical director. Even Doctor Deborah Birx of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force was pleased with the data from the city. So, the beach remained opened.
A good bet would be that if the major media figures weren’t getting paid, their tune might change about the shutdown. Then, they too might call for a more reasoned and logical approach to managing our business enterprises. Remember, even during the 1918 Spanish flu, there were no reports of a massive financial crisis, and that epidemic killed 675,000 Americans between 1918 and 1922. There were measures taken, such as isolation, however research reveals that it was more local, and commons sensed based. Certainly not the “one size fits all” plans in effect currently.
This country has never been shut down like it is now for any virus. The only reason given was to “flatten” the curve so the hospitals wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Evidence in New York is ample. The hospital ship Comfort was never fully utilized nor was the Javits Center that contained 3,000 beds. Causing 25 million people to be unemployed hasn’t stopped the virus. Further evidence from a Stanford study found that 55 times more people, than originally thought, had been infected in California but apparently their immune systems fought it off. This is known as herd immunity; people create antibodies thus build immunity. The virus dies and doesn’t spread. A USC study had similar findings.
It would be a good idea to adapt a strategy that protects and quarantines the most vulnerable, the elderly and infirm. The endless “models” about the virus spread released everyday are constantly revised, are only one of the tools for analysis, and should not be the definitive guideline for reopening businesses. Let the healthy leave their homes and go to work. They should wear a mask when necessary and wash their hands.
The bell is indeed tolling…for everyone and everything.