Coronavirus Hysteria Worse Than the Disease
By
CanadaFreePress.com
I’m pretty sure that I am going to be correct about
the Coronavirus: This hysteria is more dangerous
than the disease.
Sure, Coronavirus or COVID-19 as it is also called,
is disturbing and scary. But when you consider how
many people are likely to die, and who is likely to
die, compared to the statistics in mortality for so
many other conditions and diseases, this is mass
craziness in terms of fear.
Coronavirus has caused a fear contagion
Coronavirus has caused a fear contagion. The fact
that it is a “pandemic,” only means that it exists
around the world. This is a health care crisis that
has now precipitated an economic crisis because of
lack of perspective.
What’s needed now is not simply new fiscal policy or
monetary policy, but a simple announcement from the
House Democrats and the White House that the federal
government will bring to bear its resources to
create a comprehensive “Manhattan Project” to combat
COVID 19. In addition, the federal government ought
to backstop anybody in the United States who seeks
treatment to make sure that care is free to them in
this period of national emergency. (Quick note, I am
a financial advisor and nothing in this article
ought to be construed as investment advice.
Investing involves the risk of loss).
If the House Democrats and the White House were to
come together, I believe the stock market could
recover some of its recent losses, and normal
economic activity could begin to resume. This is not
the time for political recriminations; this is the
time for good will and to pull together as a nation
and as an American people.
Here’s what I need to tell you about perspective in
terms of impact of the Coronavirus:
Unfortunately we have become a diminished people, no longer able to face reality and difficulties. It’s a kind of national cowardice
As of March 12, 2020, there have been only 37
people to die from Coronavirus in the United States.
As of March 10, 2020, only 32 people had died from
Coronavirus. Of those 32 people, about 24 of them
died in a nursing home in Washington State. That
means in those two days, only five more people had
died from Coronavirus. Is this enough of a reason to
bring economic activity to halt? I don’t think so.
Normal Americans are able to cope with these types
of risks and displacements. Unfortunately we have
become a diminished people, no longer able to face
reality and difficulties. It’s a kind of national
cowardice. Let me say this clearly: life is
inherently dangerous, and none of us are going to
get out alive.
Let’s talk about other causes of preventable death
and see how much significantly greater they are than
Coronavirus is likely ever to be. The following are
the most recent figures that I pulled from reputable
internet sources, such as the Centers for Disease
Control.
- People killed in car accidents each year in the United States: 35,000.
- People killed by influenza last year in the United States: 35,000. The year before that 61,000 people died from the flu.
- Number of people that die of heart disease in the United States each year: 650,000.
- Number of people that die of cancer each year: 610,000.
- Number of people that die from smoking each year: 485,000.
- Number of people that die from alcohol-related deaths each year: 88,000.
- Number of people killed by accidents and unintentional injuries each year in the United States: 170,000.
In 1918, 575,000 people in the United States died from influenza. We have been here before, and obviously we don’t want these types of deaths to happen again, but it seems extreme to think that this virus which does not appear to be all that lethal to healthy people will cause this type of catastrophe.
Elderly and people with compromised immune systems
Coronavirus is something of which to be
concerned, of course. But unfortunately, the only
people that are going to die from it are the elderly
and people with compromised immune systems. That’s
sad and unfortunate, but for the overwhelming
majority of people perhaps 80 percent of those with
Coronavirus, they will experience only minor
symptoms.
People in health care tell me that we have to
“flatten” the curve on who gets affected by
Coronavirus, so that hospitals can take care of the
sick and we can slow the pace of infection. But
what’s really needed is to lower the fear, and not
close arenas and theaters, and instead believe we
can handle this and mostly live our lives as
normally as possible, and take reasonable
precautions, such as washing one’s hands often.
I know it’s me and I have a conservative bias, but
it’s the brand conscience NBA, the leading Social
Justice Warrior league in the country that started
the trend of capitulation. All of a sudden every
other sports league had to follow suit. New York
Governor Mario Cuomo then shut the lights on
Broadway until April 12. Before that New York City
Mayor Bill De Blasio stopped the St. Patrick’s Day
Parade, which has taken place for 258 years. This is
hysteria. This is madness, compared to the magnitude
of other preventable deaths. If people are afraid
they shouldn’t attend these events. Let the rest of
us live our lives, and take the normal risks of
living.
Daniel Wiseman is an independent political
commentator, who focuses on national and
international affairs. He spent nine years as a
professional journalist in Wyoming before working in
fund-raising, non-profit management, and is now
working in New York City. Wiseman focuses his
writing on how to bring the United States back to
its Constitutional moorings. He writes exclusively
for Canada Free Press.