I felt the world change on July 20th, 1969 when we did what was thought a few short years before by most people as impossible. We put men on the Moon. I felt the world change again on Dec 19th, 1972, when we came back from the Moon for the last time, having lost our will to reach beyond our grasp.
I felt the world change on 9/11. Then over the years saw our resolve to face our enemies' change to capitulation.
But I didn't feel this new change, not even when our group tour to the East Coast was postponed over the Coronavirus. I expected it, having watched the media stir this into mass hysteria.
The first suggestion a world change had arrived was a visit to Walmart for our weekly shopping.
There was no toilet paper. The insanity had spread faster than COVID19, arriving in the little towns of the Midwest, where just a few short days prior, common sense seemed to still have a foothold. The good news was the shelves still had bread, beans, and rice. The meat counters still had a selection of beef, pork, and chicken. The pharmacy shelves were a bit bare, but no need to panic.
I stood in awe of the stupidity of what I saw. The store was full of food and quite a bit of medications but devoid of paper goods. Had people become that kid in 3rd grade that would also eat the paper sack his mom packed his lunch in?
Then Trump placed a travel ban and announced national testing. Smart move. Our state limited events that would mean large gatherings. I question the 250-people limit. Does COVID19 count people before deciding to infect? Still, it is better than doing nothing.
I felt the change the next day. We got up early and hit Walmart and Sam's Club. I knew Trump's announcement would have an impact. I underestimated how fast people would react and start buying smart. The meat counter at Sam's Club had a few beef briskets available. Nice when smoked and you have a lot of friends over. The was still a lot of chicken, but we didn't need any so we passed.
At Walmart, I slipped over to the outdoor section to see what backpacking foods were available. Pancakes and three ice cream bars. All the rest was gone. At least a few people knew what to get. These meals keep for up to 50 years if kept at 60 degrees of lower and they taste great… Well at least on the trail after a long hard hike they do.
Fear sells. We like to panic and when we do, we toss our intelligence aside. We run in circles, scream and shout and wave our arms and hand all about.
Now I see a mayor in Illinois granting herself the power to ban the sale of guns, ammo, booze, and gas to help battle COVID19. Counties in California restricting local travel. What is next? I am afraid ask.
We take on the whole, everything we hear and see at face value and are angry with people who present facts in opposition to our fears. We are told this is much worse than the flu and will bite the head off anyone who dares to challenge the lie.
There, I did it. I called the fear a lie. I challenged the media's fear-mongering. The fact is the reported number of cases and the actual number of cases are very different. Even the CDC says their catching from 17% to 20% of the total. Those 20%, are the ones most affected by COVID19. The other 80% with COVID19 range from asymptomatic to mild symptoms. The flu, on the other hand, sees about 66% of those infected needing medical help.
Anyone who passed middle school math can see when it comes to COVID19, that the actual cases are under-reported at a rate of about 4 to 1. Given that an under-reporting of cases and that 80% of all cases are at worse mild, the mortality rate is overstated by 80%. The 3.4% mortality rate is more like 0.33%.
Take care and God bless