Remember when we were under the impression that we could wait for Americans to acquire natural immunity to COVID-19, and, along with the adoption of vaccines against the novel virus, we could all "return to normal"?  Well, that's not going to happen.  The question then becomes, when do we accept that this virus will be with us for decades, and just how much power will we cede to our government in suppressing our freedom to fight the problem?

We've had vaccines for the flu forever, it seems.  But we can't avoid having the common cold spread through our communities every year, sometimes multiple times a year.  That's because adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, and others mutate so quickly that it makes creating a vaccine for the cold nearly impossible.  It is the nature of any virus to mutate.  COVID-19 is a coronavirus and is not at all different.

The recent strains of COVID-19 are coming out of South Africa.  That is primarily because of the estimated 8 million HIV-infected, and, therefore, immunocompromised, sub-Saharan Africans serving as incubators for the virus.  Because the immune systems of these unfortunates are slower to fight the virus, this fosters mutations, erodes vaccine protection, and increases the possibility of viral transmission.  African COVID-19's "children" are procreating exponentially, with no end in sight.

As a result of this sub-Saharan, HIV/COVID interaction, the World Health Organization calls for more effective HIV treatment, universal vaccination for COVID-19, and removing the stigmatization of those Africans with HIV.  Does anyone believe that the track record of the WHO, the travel bans in the African sub-continent, and the supply chain problem we are experiencing will do anything but compound the problem?  Interestingly, malaria in Africa is experiencing a dramatic increase in frequency and lethality — so much so that the WHO has declared this a crisis.  Why is this happening?  Because of disruptions in the administration of care for malaria patients caused by COVID-19. 

COVID-related delays and avoidance of medical care here in America have resulted in a significant increase in morbidity and mortality from disease and illness other than from the pandemic.  Poverty, isolation, depression, suicide, anxiety-related illness, and joblessness exacerbated by government shutdowns have killed many more.  Deaths from our media's COVID coverage and the government's COVID response are arguably far more numerous than deaths from the virus.  Yet there are no plans to "re-open" the economy and normalize.

The overall death rate from the first COVID-19 epidemic was estimated at around 0.6%, and it will soon be two years since our worldwide freak-out began.  Knowing that an endless supply of replacement COVIDs is already in the sub-Saharan pipeline makes us need to reassess our response.  There needs to be a cold, rational cost-benefit analysis as soon as possible.  How do we live with COVID and have a thriving economy, the ability to travel and work with others, and attend school?  When can we again look at others without seeing them as potential agents of death?

Back in October of 2020, the Great Barrington Declaration was proposed by highly respected, credible medical researchers and physicians.  It was supported by over 850,000 physicians, scientists, and health care professionals.  After much research on COVID-19, they declared a need for "Focused Protection."  Stated simply, the world needed to protect the most vulnerable and continue with normal life.  We did not follow their lead.

We all must know by now that the politicization of the virus in the U.S. was done primarily to get Donald Trump out of office.  It is patently evident that it was then escalated by Democrats and the media to increase the power of the federal government.  They are relying on fear and imprecise, politicized science to keep us from advancing to any "next steps."

COVID isn't going anywhere.  Prior to COVID, the flu has killed millions over the years prior to this iteration.  No one wants "unnecessary deaths" to happen.  But the less publicized deaths from our response to the virus are just as real.

"Next steps" are overdue.  They must include protecting the most vulnerable and normalizing the economy.  They must include a sane, rational, impartial presentation of facts from our media and real discussions regarding how the government cannot hope to make rules that allow us to avoid illness without "unforeseen" consequences that could be worse.

Image: qimono via Pixabay, Pixabay License.

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