The social distancing habit is worthwhile. Close attention to hygiene (frequently washing hands, faces and communally used surfaces) is worthwhile. Isolation until a person’s illness runs its course (is no longer contagious) is worthwhile. Publicizing un-manipulated information about verified infection rates versus death rates (by age and locality) enables people to judge government and media credibility. This is priceless, as it restrains medical scaremongering.
The breakdown of deaths from COVID-19 has clearly shown that people with pre-existing conditions (caused by such poor health choices as smoking, drinking and substance abuse) or weak immune systems are generally the most vulnerable to dying. So having such people wear masks, despite most masks having inadequate anti-virus filtration ability, is justified. Massive public education and government assistance to radically improve population immune systems is absolutely priceless.
The natural power of the human body (antibodies, white blood cells, etc.) to defeat disease has been widely acknowledged since the ancient Greeks. It’s why vaccination works at all, and why the severity of COVID-19 symptoms is so varied among people not made vulnerable by bad health choices. In my opinion, the biggest threat that COVID-19 poses is fear-driven conduct.
Stuart Thompson
Wasilla
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