The pandemic panic has driven many people to accept “facts” that just aren't true, though they come from local, state and national sources we are ordinarily inclined to trust.
Our nation's economy has been devastated. People have lost their jobs and family incomes. Small businesses have been closed, many forever, and personal constitutional freedoms have been surrendered.
All this was done based on epidemiological models supplied by scientists such as the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, a nationally-cited “authority” on pandemics.
First we were told that 2 million Americans would die from covid.
Then 1 million.
Then 600,000.
Now 100,000, or 60,000 depending on sources.
Key fact: All epidemiological models and projections had built into them the anticipated effects of “social distancing,” so the claim, “Well, the experts were forced to keep reducing their predictions because social distancing worked!' is simply not a valid argument.
Now “testing'' is the new social distancing, being fronted by media, health officials and politicians.
Unfortunately, though the notion of testing is comforting, it will prove to have no more real, substantial effect on the progress of the virus through communities than social distancing did.
People who become seriously ill will go to the doctor, whether testing is done widely or not.
People who do not become sick will be shown to have defeated the virus through their own immune systems and varying metabolisms.
Testing will demonstrate — as it already has in large test groups such as in California — that many Americans contracted the virus, overcame it and now have some level of immunity.
Current hotspots such as New York and past hotspots such as Washington state are showing the decline of COVID-19’s influence on populations. Hospitalizations and death numbers are falling.
Citizens have been wise to cooperate through extra attention to personal hygiene and sound health practices, as is normal during flu seasons, but when the virus scare is over, after-action studies will show that natural herd immunity — not stampedes to masks, gloves, social distancing, testing, business shutdowns, home lockdowns, grocery basket wipe-downs and draconian limits on freedom — had the greatest impact in stopping the spread of the virus.
But for now, “experts” like UW.'s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, though embarrassingly proven wrong, are still trusted by officials who will be using their predictions to determine reopening the economy and restoring freedom.
Gov. Jay Inslee, along with Oregon and California governors, Democrats all, will please liberal media and extend their arbitrary restrictions and limits on businesses and individual citizens as long as possible, again based on false projections, but the Sunday, April 19, protest by more than 2,500 irate citizens at the capitol in Olympia prove that people are not buying the preening pronouncements of “authorities” any more.
While Inslee dithers, our freedoms, personal finances and economy are suffering, all for the sake of fear-mongering and power-grabbing using false facts.
Enough.
End it.
