Covid hysteria continues
Rats! The hysteria about Covid continues. Commentary and letters are fraught with emotion but lack solid evidence and/or rational, dispassionate observations. Fortunately, the state of Montana’s Covid website provides exemplary statistics and commentary for those who crave trustworthy information.
The figures from the July 30 report are startling. In our state, over the last 1 1/2 years no person under 20 has died of Covid, and only one under 30. It’s great news. Our kids and young adults are not in danger and any claim to the contrary is irresponsible.
According to the July 30 report, about 75% of deaths in Montana were of those 70 and above. In Flathead County only 28 people under 70 died with Covid in 1 1/2 years.
Relative to masks, I recently heard a newscaster state that tests regarding the effectiveness of masks are ongoing. Really? You mean the CDC, which approved an experimental shot within nine or 10 months, still has no verifiable study regarding masks — one of the most contentious issues of our time? That’s either incompetence or worse.
It’s hard to believe masks could be effective as viruses are typically up to 200 times smaller than bacteria, which makes transmission through openings in masks a virtually certainty. In my opinion, cloth masks are effectively worthless except for giving people nothing but a false sense of security.
Regarding vaccines, you can’t have it both ways — either they work or they don’t. Presuming they work, they give everyone the opportunity to protect themselves from the risk of infection or, at the very least, minimize the effects of this disease. If a person is vaccinated, they should be able to exist in society without fear of being infected by anyone they may be near, vaccinated or not.
Since people can protect themselves from risk, any discussion about “social responsibility” is ridiculous. If a person is fearful and wants to protect themselves, just do it but don’t castigate or try to force others to do the same as they can’t threaten you. If you do insist, it’s not about protection, it’s about control.
And please use rational sense to understand those who contract the disease are, in effect, getting the shot and such numbers should be reflected in addition to those who have been vaccinated.
Hospitalizations can be a problem. Health officials should determine which age groups are creating the most usage and ask them to up their precautions, such as staying home and/or masking up if they care to.
However, our health departments should do much, much more to educate people of different vitamins and medicines which have proven effective in minimizing the effects of this disease. But draconian solutions should not be forced on our younger, healthy people under 70. They have the right to make their own choices.
Finally, some people are under the delusion we can “beat” this virus. That’s absurd as this virus and its mutations are going to be with us probably forever. We must learn to live with it in a rational, sane manner respecting and being courteous to those who may disagree with one’s point of view.
We must not react with emotional hysteria to a disease from which over 99% recover with very little ill effects. In my opinion, this is a bad flu which principally affects older people — fortunately not younger adults and children. But, as the real numbers so clearly show, this is not a pandemic.
Mark Agather lives in Kalispell.