So, what do we know for sure, what needs to be clarified, and what do we do next? We've looked at the failure to find a curve to flatten, the economic crisis, and the slippery nature of COVID-19/SARS-CoV2 policies. Where do we go from here?
Image credit
Is it all a global mass hallucination, or a secret propaganda lie? I have no reason to doubt that there is a real virus, or that viruses affect people as generally understood by physicians and biologists. If you disagree, fine, but try to persuade me and expect skeptical questions. Don't just link to someone's Youtube rant while calling me "sheeple" for my skepticism.
Is it a bioweapon of some sort, whether an escaped germ warfare experiment, or a deliberate attack? I would expect it to be much more effective under such circumstances. Had the initial predictions held true, I might be more inclined to give this some credence. As it stands, I doubt all such claims.
Even by the standard narrative, we don't really know how long it has been in the US. Testing has been minimal, and many test kits were defective early on. Any analysis based uponsuch incomplete and erroneous data will inevitably be faulty. There are anecdotal accounts of widespread misattribution of causes of death when COVID-19 was not the cause or in association with other comorbidities. How should we act in an absence of complete data? I don't know, but I know the alchemy of government won't magically generate knowledge from ignorance either. We do know the models predicting how the pandemic would spread were deeply flawed. What is being done to fix this, and who will be held responsible for this failure?
My own predictions may have been somewhat mistaken, too. SARS-CoV-2 is apparently not very dangerous to Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Unless you're old or beset with pre-existing conditions, it does seem far less dangerous than the seasonal flu. On the other hand, for the elderly, there does seem to be a higher risk. I await better data on death rates overall so we can see whether there was a significant overall deviation from the norm.
In light of this, how should we protect the elderly, and how much should we protect the elderly? Man is mortal. Life is full of innumerable risks. In the end, the Grim Reaper will come for us all. How much effort and expense should we really spare for one specific risk factor?
I know this may sound heartless, but we need to consider the matter within the scope of the other risks we accept daily. I'm not advocating genocide of the boomers here, and I'm not even suggesting precautions shouldn't be taken, but we need to take a realistic approach to this subject and have an honest discussion. Without name-calling or accusations of intergenerational genocidal intent. We hurtle down the road in tin cans at speeds unimaginable a century ago. We harness lightning and run it through our flammable homes in little wires. We fly through the air in aluminum tubes with wings. We choose to participate in dangerous sports for fun. While this virus does appear to pose a new danger, we aren't making sound assessment of the relative danger level because it is new.
Will this bug be back along with the usual flu season this coming winter? Who knows? If we flattened the curve, achieved a measure of herd immunity due to widespread naturally acquired immunity in younger generations, maybe not. Or maybe it will be back with a vengeance as it continued to mutate, and the doom-and-gloom predictions of the past come to pass.
The real question needs to be, "what will you do to prepare in the mean time in case it is bad?" Make a plan and take some steps for your future security just in case.
