The numbers are numbing. Daily counts of “confirmed” coronavirus cases. Estimates indicate that reported numbers might actually represent just 10% of the new cases. The COVID-19 scourge treats each host individually, sparing some from major health problems while greatly impacting others. Long-term impacts? We now know that even healthy, younger people can suffer greatly. Yeh, you may live, but how do heart damage, blood clots, memory loss, hallucinations, and/or kidney failure fit in with your party plans?
“143 new cases today on Oahu” is a lead story that seemingly affects just one-tenth of one percent of our state’s population (1.4-million). But what if that reported number represents just one-tenth of the actual new cases which surfaced that day? Mask-less, asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic, non-socially distancing mavericks are out there, so maybe our coronavirus numbers are much larger, as most experts suggest. Or is that fear-mongering? Would 1,430 cases a day cause mask-less rebels to think twice?
Ah, but in these post-truth days where facts are often treated as opinions, what do the experts know, right? Well, here’s what we do know. People without masks or sans distancing concerns might think that their risk is manini or that they’re impervious to this ailment, but they’re not.
Yes, you’ve suffered the indignity of being somewhat quarantined by “the man” for the better part of four months, but darn it, you deserve to roam freely because you said so, and you deserve your beach beer bong! Well, freedom has a price. And if we’re to win this “war on coronavirus” before better treatments come to fruition, than mask up, be a patriot and support the cause. Asymptomatic patients can carry high virus loads, thus spreading the virus to others unknowingly (or uncaringly?).
We want our economy back; we’ll have to earn it. Really sick people don’t spend money, they cost money. COVID-19 takes no holidays, cares not about social status, earnings, ethnicity, or SAT scores. It simply hops from host to host via a free ride. Wash up, physically distance, AND wear masks (not an either/or choice), and we might cause this invisible force to wither away within six weeks. Or continue to play Russian roulette with a ruthless enemy. PTSD and mental anguish with an on-again, off-again economy ensure longer-term impacts beyond the virus’ obvious effects. Being vigilant and responsible is really not a choice. It’s a necessity.
Think about it…