Am *I* the crazy one? I find myself asking this question over and over and over. We’ve been living under the spectre of COVID-19 for nearly a YEAR! There has been a LOT of information published that says:
- COVID-19 is a disease of the respiratory tract
- I guess a lot of people don’t realize what parts of the body are associated with the respiratory tract.
- My two favorite ways that this has been (satirically) presented to the public are
- Study Confirms Nose Holes Connect to Lungs by Medium
- And this comic:
- One may “feel fine” and still HAVE the disease, AND be able to transmit it to others.
- I have had several friends who tested positive and SWORE that they felt fine and had no symptoms. This is the insidious nature of many viruses/diseases – they are spread BEFORE the host knows that they are infected. Not a new process, folks!
- Science is always learning. What the scientists told us a year ago may have changed. As we learn more, sometimes our actions must be modified with the new information.
- Masks definitely protect infected people from spreading the infection by preventing exhaled droplets from dispersing. If you’ve ever sneezed in your motorcycle helmet with the shield closed, you know ALL ABOUT respiratory droplets – believe me!! 🙂
- Masks may protect uninfected people, but there is SOOOO much variation on the types of masks that this is a murky pond to wade into.
- From my POV, I’d rather hedge my bets and wear a mask. YPOVMV (your point of view may vary).
- Some people have mild symptoms with COVID-19 however there is no matrix that we know of that allows all of us “average people” calculate their likelihood of mild –> severe symptoms.
- Just because you are young/old, an athlete/a couch potato, carnivore/vegetarian/vegan, blonde/brunette/red head – none of these are definitive determining factors. There are old people who have mild cases. There are teens/20-somethings who die.
- The “I-am-invincible” attitude isn’t a guarantee or a cure.
- There are a number of vaccines out there. Some work better than others – this is STATISTICS, not a guarantee. Some are only available in some countries, areas, etc. I’m not going to get into a “why vaccines are beneficial” rant (although I might sometime…) but the idea of vaccination is not a new-fangled crazy scientist thing. Every time someone catches a cold, gets an infection, they are introducing an “antigen” (antibody generating) to their body. (Vaccines are antigens that are purposely introduced and thankfully often inactive, so we don’t really “catch” whatever it is.) It is new (also known in medical parlance as “foreign” – which has nothing do do with what country it is from) and the body’s immune system goes to war with it. Most of us refer to that war as “getting sick with” whatever. Assuming the war is won, the body saves a “memory” of that antigen (that would be the antibody).
- Remember “Lord of the Flies”? Same idea. “Remember this.”
So if we know the above things, why has it been so hard to get a handle on this virus? YES it is novel and extremely virulent. Humans have dealt with a lot more with a lot less understanding. The steps that have been recommended by science are (usually) backed by research, testing, and a profound desire to keep people from dying.
I struggle to maintain equanimity when I see people purposely choosing to risk MY HEALTH by their actions. Because that is what is going on – their actions don’t ONLY affect them. They have the potential of affecting any/every body that they come in contact with – friends, family, strangers.
So why do people do this
I wish I could comprehend. And yet, I am also glad that I can’t.