End the California state and local lockdown mandates. Sensibly.
As of 5/15/20, there’s been 5,662 reported coronavirus cases in San Diego County — a huge county of 3.3 million people.
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/Epidemiology/COVID-19%20Bar%20Graph%20of%20New%20and%20Total%20Cases.pdf
Doubtless there were many more who were infected by the coronavirus. But the symptoms were so mild that the victims didn’t get themselves tested or treated for the virus.
Now look at the KEY table of numbers below — the number of San Diego County deaths “ASSOCIATED” with the coronavirus. I can’t post that PDF table here, so you MUST click on the URL. Fortunately, this URL is updated daily.
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/dam/sdc/hhsa/programs/phs/Epidemiology/COVID-19%20Deaths%20by%20Demographics.pdf
As of 5/15/20, of those 5,662 reported cases, there been 209 county deaths associated with the coronavirus. But dig down into the age demographics.
Note that with thousands of cases of coronavirus, as of 5/15/20 NO ONE KID UNDER AGE 20 HAS DIED. NOT ONE.
Only 2 died ages 20-29
Only 2 died ages 30-39
Of those cases who DID die in San Diego County, 73.7% were were 70 or older.
Indeed, 46.4% of the deaths were age 80 or over.
Now let’s circle back to “associated” deaths. What that means is that a person died while testing positive for the coronavirus. Doubtless the virus was the primary cause of most such deaths. But these deaths almost always had comorbidity factors — other maladies or conditions that likely made people more vulnerable to the coronavirus.
According to San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, as of 5/13/20, only SIX San Diego County deaths were “pure” coronavirus deaths — deaths solely attributable to the virus. The rest had comorbidity factors that likely made the victims more susceptible to the virus.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2020-05-13/supervisor-jim-desmond-says-san-diego-has-only-had-six-pure-coronavirus-deaths
Given the catastrophic economic damage that the prolonged lockdown is causing, the way forward is obvious:
- Open the county’s economy, parks, beaches and the schools, with sensible safeguards when feasible — social distancing, hand washing and masks — preferably voluntary. By now, we all know what to do.
- Encourage seniors — especially seniors with health problems (such as myself) — to remain in a voluntary lockdown for a while longer. Thanks to the Internet, we geezers can do it — and not harm the economy.
If we choose not to isolate ourselves, it’s OUR problem — not the government’s. The truth is, if we elders die “early,” the taxpayers will save many thousands of dollars in senior health care costs and social security payments. - Younger folks with serious health problems should decide for themselves whether or not to continue in lockdown. And just maybe some should consider giving up smoking — and commit to eating more healthy food.