Different Takes: Magical Thinking, Fear, Self-Promotion Won’t Save Lives
Opinion writers express views about these approaches to the pandemic and others as well.
Stat:
We Cannot Rely On Magical Thinking: Herd Immunity Is Not A Plan
Ten months into the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there is mounting frustration that life is not back to “normal.” Many U.S. schools and businesses remain closed, people are hesitant to fly and enjoy vacations, and in many places, restaurants and indoor activities are sharply limited, with severe economic consequences. With patience wearing thin, it may be tempting to consider policies that give us a return to normalcy, whatever the consequences. (Gigi Kwik Gronvall and Rachel West, 10/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Andrew Cuomo Takes A ‘Hatchet’
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo likes to say that his virus policies, including a strict, prolonged lockdown of New York City, are based on science. Well, he finally revealed the truth when he told Jewish leaders last week that he is locking down their communities again due to public fear.Cases in Brooklyn, Queens and some New York City suburbs have been rising, and Mr. Cuomo blames orthodox Jewish communities not adhering to his rules. Last week he shut down nonessential businesses and schools in these communities and limited gatherings at houses of worship to 10 people. (10/15)
Stat:
Community Outbreaks Of Covid-19 Often Emerge After Trump's Campaign Rallies
In mid-May I sat in the backyard of my family’s home in Newport News, Va., garbed in graduation regalia and, via Zoom, joined my medical school classmates to read these words of the Hippocratic oath: “that into whatsoever house I shall enter, it shall be for the good of the sick.” When President Trump held a mass campaign rally in Newport News at the end of September, he did so against the explicit warning of local public health officials. He was entering this community — our house — not for the good of the sick but to promote himself. (Zach Nayer, 10/16)
The Washington Post:
I Thought Trump Couldn’t Handle The Virus Any Worse Than He Already Had. I Was Wrong.
Of all the many ways President Trump mishandled his covid-19 diagnosis and recovery, the worst is what he’s doing now: facilitating superspreader events while the United States is undergoing a surge in coronavirus cases. It’s not just the supremely reckless — and unnecessary — assembling of thousands of people, in close quarters and many of them maskless; it’s his overall unmistakable message of contempt for public health and disregard of others’ welfare. (Leana S. Wen, 10/15)
USA Today:
COVID Isn't Disappearing. There Seems To Be A Fall Surge In Cases.
"We're rounding the turn on the pandemic." Donald Trump said that three times Tuesday to a packed rally of supporters (many without face masks) in Johnstown, Pa. But if America is turning a corner on the coronavirus, it's in the wrong direction. When Trump began floating his rounding-the-turn mantra weeks ago, the number of coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths had, indeed, been declining since early summer. But that has changed. There were more than 50,000 new infections in the U.S. during a recent 24-hour period (with a seven-day average of nearly 47,000). That's at least double the daily infections of any other country in the world with the exception of India, which has four times the population of the United States. America already has more COVID-19 deaths — more than 217,000 — than any other country. (10/15)
Stat:
Hospitals Must Do More To Protect Their Workers From Covid-19
We are three physicians who share an apartment in Boston, and after months of wondering where we might catch Covid-19 — the crowded grocery store checkout line? the gas station? — we found out: at work. (Kathryn Holroyd, Neha Limaye and Hallie Rozansky, 10/16)
The Hill:
When It Comes To Healthy Aging: Location, Location, Location
Where we age shapes how we age. What neighborhood we live in can predict everything from life expectancy to likelihood of having a limb amputated to whether we spend our last years in a nursing home. The swath of devastation COVID-19 is cutting through communities is the latest evidence. (Nina A. Kohn and Jennifer Goldberg, 10/15)
The Washington Post:
Canada Is Trying To Secure Millions Of Covid-19 Vaccine Doses. It Should Share.
Around the world, researchers are working tirelessly to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. At the same time, governments, businesses and civil society organizations are preparing massive production and distribution efforts so that when a vaccine candidate — or candidates — is cleared for use, it can be administered around the world as soon as possible. Whether we will eventually get a vaccine isn’t in question. What is in question is who will have access to it, and when? (David Moscrop, 10/15)
