COVID dangers

Once again, Review-journal columnist Victor Joecks tries to gloss over the enormous risks of COVID-19 with a false analogy to how he believes the Pilgrims would have reacted to an outbreak of a deadly communicable disease more than 400 years ago (Nov. 25 column). Like any other society of the time that existed some two centuries before Louis Pasteur and Robert

Koch would revolutionize two sports makes it a cermedicine by proving the tainty that players will modern germ theory of dissmash into each other, ease, they would have reactsweat will fly everywhere ed with fear and undertaken and bodily fluids will be any coping mechanisms exchanged. Both games they found that would help were played indoors, yet no them survive — even if those masks. But golf, by its very coping mechanisms were nature, ensures that there illogical. If they didn’t, they will be social distancing and would get sick and possibly it is played outdoors in fresh die.air.

We can look back to the Football and basketball plagues and diseases that games at the pro and college would strike Europe before levels have had to be canthe Pilgrims came to Amerceled and shuffled to new ica, such as the Black Death dates all season long as a rethat swept Europe in the sult of COVID-19 outbreaks. late 1300s. They had no idea Yet our governor has manof how it was transmitted dated that anyone playing and could not logically and golf must wear a mask. What systemically protect themif any sense does this make? selves. And so writer Agnolo Maybe the governor needs di Tura of Sienna from those to follow “common sense” times wrote, “Father abaninstead of science. doned child, wife husband, one brother another for this plague seemed to strike through the breath and sight. And so they died. And no one could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship.”

Mr. Joecks further undercuts his own argument by citing the native Indian Squanto who, when he returned from Europe, discovered his tribe had been wiped out by smallpox — a novel disease to the Indian tribes that they did not understand and had no coping mechanism to address.

We are fortunately in a much better place. We know how COVID-19 is spread and we can undertake logical, proven methods to stop it. We can wear masks. Stay home and socially distance. Wash our hands. Don’t hold any large gatherings such as big holiday meals, even though it is so ingrained in

Even with all of the precautions and lockdowns we have endured, COVID-19 has killed more than 260,000 of our fellow Americans in 10 months.

our families and traditions.

And even with all of that and all the lockdowns we have endured, COVID-19 has killed more than 260,000 of our fellow Americans in 10 months — seven times the average annual flu deaths from the past decade. And this disease isn’t over yet.

Chris Boyd

Henderson