It’s not just the mask…

Of the fatalities that have been reported by the CDC that have been categorized as COVID-19 deaths, only 6% are exclusively due to ARDS. Every other fatality had, on average, two other diseases the deceased was contending with at the time of their death. You don’t hear those dynamics communicated in the “dealth tolls.” All you hear is a message that implies you are either at risk or you’re a liability – and unless you hide your face and shut it down, you may get sick and die.

The WHO recently conceded that 80% of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic.

You have a better chance of dying in a car wreck than you do from COVID-19 and don’t forget that as of April, it was estimated that 50% of Americans had already contracted COVID-19 and had recovered from it.

That doesn’t mean you dismiss any death or any sickness as inconsequential. Nor does it mean that you don’t wear a mask, although the kind of mask you wear makes a big difference.

What it does mean is that you don’t dismiss concerns about the economy as inconsequential or the fact that lives are being disrupted and, in some cases, ruined.

And just as a quick aside, the “economy” is often referenced as some kind of dark and selfish institution that cannot compare to the loss of life. But that’s not the real economy. The real economy is people being able to pay their mortgage and put food on the table. The real economy is bankruptcy and failing businesses and unemployment. Without the real economy, there is no healthcare, there is no research and there is no resolution. If you’ve not lost your job and haven’t had to default to credit cards in order to pay your mortgage, be glad. But at the same time be sensitive to those who are on the brink of not being able to pay for groceries. If this crisis is going to be resolved, the remedy will have to apply to every area where damage has been done and that includes more than just respirators.

Some have accused those who would see life return to normal as being guilty of a disposition that would, “…trade the elderly for the economy.” If that logic were sound and we would limit any activity that poses a comparable amount of risk, then we could just as easily say that anytime we’re getting into a car with our family we are sacrificing the lives or our children for a quick mode of transportation.

I’m not minimizing the reality of COVID-19 any more than I would sneer at an automobile accident. And I’m not discouraging masks anymore than I would balk at wearing a seat belt.

But here’s the thing…

We don’t treat other sicknesses or comparable risk laden activities with the same kind of restrictions.

Why?

This isn’t just about wellness or being responsible. There are other agendas baked into this crisis that are emphasizing masks and social distancing for reasons that have nothing to do with medical science. Couple that with the obvious way in which things are being communicated and the way in which treatments which have proven effective are not just dismissed, but demonized…

It’s not just the mask…