The current economic devastation has been caused by the official response to this virus, not the virus itself. It has taken away people’s jobs, destroyed their savings, forced businesses to close, created untold emotional and mental stress, and caused many to avoid necessary healthcare, putting them at increased risk of complications and harm. People continue to be terrorized by sensationalistic news stories and government policies that appear to ignore all the positive information we’ve collected since the beginning of the shutdown and the subsequent assault on our rights, livelihoods, and way of life in general. All for a virus, that while real and something to be respected, is on par with the 1957 and 1968 pandemics, for which there were no shutdowns and nationwide fear-mongering. 

 

I am equally concerned and disappointed with what appears to be a willful coercion of the American public to meekly submit, without question, to the increasing rules and restrictions on our lives, despite the significant improvement in the situation. Censorship and intimidation have been become not only acceptable, but encouraged, for any who dare to question to Covid-19 narrative. True science and democracy should encourage debate and critical questioning, not try to silence or vilify those who dare to speak out. 

 

The lethality of this virus was grossly overestimated initially and despite all of the new data correcting the overinflated mortality and morbidity rates, the fact that hospitalizations and deaths never approached what was feared, and the fact that numbers of both measures have decreased below pandemic levels, we’re still being told we have to do more, stop questioning, wear masks, avoid contact with other people, and on an on.

 

We must stop this myopic focus on a single virus that when observed in context of overall mortality does not warrant the shutdowns and hysteria. More importantly, look at the hospitalizations and deaths in context of what happens every year – both in overall numbers and consideration of the seasonal effects of respiratory viruses in general. The  overreaction to this is concerning and certainly worthy of debate, particularly as governments have employed measures not previously recommended or supported, and which were issued without consideration of the unintended consequences.

 

Sincerely,

Barbara Gladders