The Blatant Disrespect for COVID-19 Coronavirus in this Country is Killing More than Just the People
A mask is not a political statement people!
COVID-19 in the United States
(stats as of the time of this writing)
- 7.58M cases
- 212K deaths
And counting…
But, WAIT! It gets worse.
Research data from the CDC shows that case counts are likely 6 to 24 times higher than reported in some cities.
Does that not alarm you?
I would think it would be enough to alarm anybody!
More than people dying
Aside from the alarming number of deaths by this virus are the startling number of dead businesses and the crashing economy with a record-high unemployment rate.
Here’s just a few of the major companies that have filed for bankruptcy due to COVID-19 and how it has tanked their businesses:
- True Religion Apparel
- J. Crew
- Gold’s Gym
- Neiman Marcus
- JCPenney
- Pier 1 Imports
- Hertz
- Tuesday Morning
- GNC
- Cirque du Soleil
- Lord & Taylor
- Ruby Tuesday
And the list goes on…
With these businesses goes jobs out the window as well, and these are just some of the major companies, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of small businesses quietly dying as a result of the COVID pandemic, 60% of which will be closed permanently.
And people can die in more ways than just physically, you know. Many have new or worsening mental illness due to coronavirus, are losing their livelihoods, having to deplete their savings accounts or losing their spouses or partners.
People are suicidal and maybe even homicidal over the horrid effects of coronavirus.
The effects of this virus are spilling into every aspect of life and communities, causing rippling effects that have placed a strain on the country’s food supply chain as well as depleted hospital and medical resources, which could contribute to worsening the effects of other disasters, like the California fires or the hurricanes or even the seasonal flu, which is now a bigger threat.
CDC Recommendations for Mitigation of this Deadly Disease
The recommendations are:
- Wear a mask!
- Wash and sanitize your hands regularly and avoid touching your face.
- Avoid gatherings and large crowds.
- Remain at least 6 feet away from others.
I’ll just address 2 of these…
- Masks people! Wear them! Well, the first one on here has garnered the most controversy because of POLITICS! — And it is probably safe to say that the people who refuse to wear masks are the people who think that to wear or not to wear a mask is a political statement, or they fall into one of the other categories on the list of 11 below. As well are those people who have a mask but it’s down under their chin, or it’s just covering their mouth but the nose is out. Do they not know that CDC studies show that coronavirus (and any other airborne virus) spreads and can be contracted through both the nose and mouth (even through just breathing)?
CDC guidelines show the significance of viral spread with and without wearing a face covering. Can you agree?
Next…
- Gatherings and crowds. Can it get anymore obviously spread this way? The CDC has outlined this. Particularly with indoor crowds where people aren’t wearing masks. Parties, church gatherings (and I have been a regular churchgoer my whole life, so don’t go there with me. I love church but I have not been since COVID), BBQs, concerts, etc. — Even outside apparently is not safe for gatherings. We all see what happened at the coronavirus super-spreading White House Rose Garden event, an outbreak that has reportedly spread and now infected 1000s from Atlanta to Minnesota.
Again, does this not alarm you?
People who are not alarmed by the COVID-19 stats in this country (let alone the entire world) fall into either one of the following categories:
- Oblivious to reality (due to ignorance or not being sane)
- In denial
- Not interested
- Have the “those type of things always happen to somebody else” mindset
- Don’t believe its real (even with mounds of evidence to the contrary)
- Believe the conspiracy theories about it being a hoax (sort of like #5)
- Think the numbers are falsified
- Think it’s no worse than the flu
- Think it will just magically go away
- Don’t take it seriously and prefer to just ignore it
- Think it’s political
Did I leave anything off the list?
Let’s just analyze #8 on the list for a minute.
True or False — COVID-19 is no worse than the flu
Uh…FALSE!
Check it out…
Although the flu and coronavirus have some overlapping symptoms, the COVID-19 death rate in the US is far higher.
On average in the US, the flu’s death rate is .1%, while the coronavirus’ death rate is 5.2%.
Does this look the same to you?
It doesn’t to me.
Coronavirus, Masks, and Politics
Does anybody wanna tell me how wearing a mask is a political statement?
In these times of pandemic, crisis, and despair we need more bipartisan support for rational actions informed by science. — In “Politics May Kill Us, Not the Coronavirus” on ThinkGlobalHealth.org
Why is it that it seems that political party dictates whether wearing a mask or not in the midst of a DEADLY pandemic is yay or nay?
CORONAVIRUS DESERVES RESPECT!
It’s not political. The COVID-19 virus is bipartisan (even if the American people are not) or rather it’s poly-partisan. It takes no sides. And it doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race, nationality, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, education level, religion, political party, or any other label that you could think of.
Here’s a quote from Owen Lloyd, a fellow Medium writer who went the long-haul with coronavirus and talks openly about how he has suffered, and he’s only 21 years old!
So, if you’re too ignorant to put a piece of fabric over your nose and mouth when you go shopping, touting some worldwide conspiracy, spare me the pleasure of your company.
COVID-19 is an equal opportunity disease.
A disease people. A highly contagious, highly virulent, killer disease.
What else will it take?
How many more deaths?
One thing is for sure.
We will see — because from what I’ve learned, people generally don’t change.
They can but oftentimes, they just don’t.
Let’s hope this is not the case for the sake of us all.
What should you take with you?
What I’d like for people to take away from this post is considering the importance of wearing a face-covering in public and how it could greatly affect so much more than their egos or political preferences.
It’s not about Dems against Repubs. It’s not about one race against the other. Or anything like that but…
It’s humankind against a deadly virus that has threatened our very existence as we know it.
Please put on the masks.
Just my 2 cents.
What’s yours?
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Audrey Malone is a freelance writer, professional resume writer, and editor, including editor for Medium publication, ILLUMINATION-Mirror.
She’s also the owner and founder of ExpertResumeWritingServices.com, and founder of Medium Publication, Nova Thinker.
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