COVID-19 Good News
-- Deaths related to COVID-19 are dropping almost as fast as new cases are rising!
-- The odds are 8 in 10 Americans who contract the illness will have minimal symptoms.
-- Currently there is a less than 1% chance of dying from COVID-19!
-- For Governor Grisham and other politicians, I urge them to please stop threatening citizens about masks. America is not China.
-- We all must distance ourselves from social media and the media itself for a few days. Take some time off from Facebook and Instagram. You don’t need to read your crazy uncles posts about conspiracies. You don’t need to see Grisham’s daily briefings. Reset your mental health by detaching from this addiction. You will be healthier by doing so.
By Dan Klein
The media and politicians make strange bedfellows. They punch at each other most of the time, but occasionally they embrace like lovers. COVID-19 has become that lovers embrace.
Politicians and the media have been shouting nothing but the bad news of COVID-19 cases rising nationwide, but did you know there is some good news that has all but been ignored by Governor Grisham and our media? What is that good news? Deaths related to COVID-19 are dropping almost as fast as new cases are rising! That is exceptionally good news, but you probably didn’t know it if you listened to daily briefings and nightly news.
Using graphs done by the New York Times and Albuquerque Journal, it becomes clear that daily deaths in both New Mexico and the nation are at levels not seen since the beginning of the pandemic! This is something we all should be overjoyed about, but for some reason we aren’t being told.
Maybe it’s because bad news gets more headlines. Maybe it’s because bad news will make weak politicians appear strong. Maybe the politicians and news media are just too focused on the bad news.
Let me give you some more good news about COVID-19. The odds are in your favor that if / when you contract COVID-19 you will be fine. The odds are 8 in 10 Americans who contract the illness will have minimal symptoms. Those are surprisingly good odds. You have a 2 in 10 chance of being ill, but because of strides made by doctors, nurses and scientists you will survive. You might get extremely sick, but you will ultimately live. That is good news. Currently there is a less than 1% chance of dying from COVID-19! Attribute this great achievement in treatment to our doctors, nurses and scientists. When COVID first hit the rate of dying was around 3% to 5%, having it drop to less than 1% is an amazing achievement. Dying sucks, but again, the odds are in your favor. Don’t focus on the negative, focus on the positive.
With this good news remember we still must do our part. Infection rates are going up. We don’t want this to happen because it will overwhelm our hospitals and that will cause the death rate to rise. Keep practicing those recommendations that the Department of Health advises.
Most importantly, wash your hands and keep your fingers out of your face. Remember to social distance and stay out of crowds. If you feel sick, get tested and self-quarantine. Until there is definitive research that says otherwise, wear your mask in public. I do. I am not convinced about the science behind face masks because there are too many contradicting studies. Therefore, I will err on the side of caution and wear the mask. Just be sure to dispose of it after wearing, or if it’s a cloth mask wash it daily.
For Governor Grisham and other politicians, I urge them to please stop threatening citizens about masks. America is not China. Threaten Americans and they usually respond in kind. Grisham would serve New Mexicans better by going all in on educating the public and convincing them to wear masks with reason instead of threatening criminal or civil penalties. The way she has handled the masks issue has made them a distraction, we need to get focused again and that is on Grisham to lead the way. Educate and obtain voluntary compliance will do more than threats.
The final thing we all must do is distance ourselves from social media and the media itself for a few days. Take some time off from Facebook and Instagram. You don’t need to read your crazy uncles posts about conspiracies. You don’t need to see Grisham’s daily briefings. Reset your mental health by detaching from this addiction. You will be healthier by doing so.
Things are not as bad as they are being presented to us. Smile. Be happy. Enjoy your life.
