Don's Tuesday Column

        THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson  Red Bluff Daily News   10/05/2021

Should we be afraid, very afraid?

Who better expresses the real risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19 (Wuhan Flu for its source in China, C-19 for brevity)? Those who have internalized: 1) hyper-concern, 2) obsessive compliance with mask-wearing, even outdoors and driving alone in their cars, 3) anxiety over who around them may not be vaccinated, even projecting hate at the possibly unvaccinated, clearly unmasked; and 4) fear over who and what ideological groups or states are resisting/rejecting mask and vaccine mandates.

Or, those who have, perhaps from the start of the pandemic—but certainly after 18+ months—thought 1) that it’s not much worse than the annual flu; 2) that their relatively young-ish middle aged, occasionally-exercised-but-overweight bodies can shake off the symptoms;

And 3) that the diminished quality of life demanded by the “lockdown” crowd—the “rebreathe-your-own-breath” because flimsy porous facemasks could “save one life” crowd—is not worth the imposition, inconvenience and disruption that it all causes. Entire states, even countries like Sweden, Norway and Denmark, have come through the pandemic’s waves and—earlier or recently—shed all restrictions.

I exaggerated the two groups, but not by much. The “be afraid, very afraid” crowd could simply accept 1) some relevant data and science, and new-found realism, to ease them into a post-pandemic “normal;” 2) that they are being propagandized into their fear-based emotional states.

First, every influenza outbreak has mostly disappeared after a few years, but has also remained among human populations in incidental, endemic levels—we live with viruses.

Secondly, the “I’m-overweight-but-impervious” bunch is playing against odds if they actually get the C-19 bug—but not to the extent of certain death. From worldometers.info/coronavirus, “Serious, Critical” cases in the whole world are less than 0.5% of those infected, or 5 out of 1,000. The USA is far better, less than 0.3% are “Serious, Critical,” or less than 3 out of 1,000 cases. I’ve watched that figure for over a year; this summer around 1 to 2 per 1,000 were in that category, rising to 3 per 1,000 and now declining.

The current “wave” follows previous surges: Infections rise, peak and decline; subsequent waves spoil complete remission. World, national or California/Oregon numbers replicate the pattern. New infections peaked the first week of September and have declined by 30-40 percent from those highs. Daily deaths have fallen 20-30%.

Daily deaths peaked in mid-September—at one-half to one-third of the January/February surge, suggesting the current “Delta” wave is far less lethal. Shouldn’t these numbers guide policies and personal equanimity? USA “Cases” and “Deaths” per 100,000 population are 1,340 and 217; CA is better than 37 states at 1,175 cases and 176 deaths.

Setting aside anecdotal (though serious and tragic) stories of ICU bed space and deaths known to someone in Tehama County, perspective matters: 1,346 infections and 153 deaths (per 100,000). We are at the national average, but worse than CA’s rate, for infections; Tehama County deaths are better than USA overall and better than CA’s rate. All 8,400 recovered infections should count as immune, and included with the vaccinated for Tehama County’s actual “herd immunity.” (Figures as of Sunday, the 3^rd)

We neither need, nor should we tolerate, mask or vaccine mandates—certainly not for children nor, for the love of God, as a requirement to get or keep a job. No school, job or economic despotism, period. The objective data do not support the “show papers and mask up” rules, nor the rationales justifying them.

“Poll Shows Most Americans Wildly Overestimate COVID Hospitalization Risks: Is the Media to Blame?” by Kevin Downey, Jr. The poll suggests the answer is “Yes.”

Gallup polled 3,158 adults, finding 41% of Democrats, 26% of Independents, and 22% of Republicans believe that the “unvaccinated” have a 50% chance of hospitalization from COVID. If FOX (I don’t watch it) slants one way, MSNBCNN and the networks slant the opposite.

Factually, less than 1% of the infected-but-unvaccinated go to the hospital. That’s tiny but only 0.01% of the vaccinated (1 out of 10,914 patients) get hospitalized. Advocates on the other side should simply acknowledge the superiority of immunity from having had COVID, to that conferred by the vaccines.

Contrary to Fabulist Fauci, Bull-spreading Biden, et al—"Covid-19 Is Not a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated,’” (by James D. Agresti, 9/27). Per a CDC study, coauthored by more than 50 MD’s and Ph.D.’s, 13 percent (likely far more) of C-19 patients were fully vaccinated (21 U.S. hospitals across 18 states, March-August, 2021). In the UK, Feb. to August, 62% of C-19 deaths were fully vaccinated.

It's hard to let go of misinformation that supports the preferred narrative; an AP article, “Nearly All COVID Deaths in US Are Now Among Unvaccinated,” was reprinted widely. “Put simply, the AP’s statistics are meaningless because they are based on materially incomplete data.”

In Israel, “Around half of the country's 600 patients presently hospitalized with severe illness have received two doses of the Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) shot…” (“Israeli doctors find severe COVID-19 breakthrough cases mostly in older, sicker patients,” by Maayan Lubell, reuters.com, 8/20). In Australia, of 7 recent deaths, 6 were vaccinated (nsw.gov.au, 9/29)

“The most glaring lesson is that people entrusted to protect and inform the public are untrustworthy. Government officials with prestigious credentials and prominent media outlets repeatedly misreported the facts of this simple matter with life-or-death consequences.” (justfactsdaily.com)

NY Democrat Gov. Hochul told church attendees that vaccines are “from God”; we should therefore use them (elevating Donald J. Trump as a deity?). After castigating every therapeutic connected to Trump (HCQ+, Remdesivir, etc.) perhaps Merck’s new, highly effective “molnupiravir,” having no tie to Trump, will help us to get beyond “COVID-ocracy.