Dear Editor,
Here’s the problem… People are saying if I get the virus, I get it, and they’re not exercising caution… they are arses and may not know it, so maybe it’s time they heard why.
Example overheard today… A Cornwall teacher plans on extending a Caribbean holiday to take advantage of schools being closed for an extra 2 weeks (by provincial government order).
This embarrassment to the teaching profession, is too thick to realize the shutdown period was to allow anyone returning from vacation, a 2 week period to monitor their health before returning to school and putting children and others at risk.
If some fool wants to engage in risky behaviour, like attending crowded venues, engage in leisure travel aboard an aircraft, a ship, or train… that would be OK if it were only they that became ill.
What these non-thinkers are doing however, is possibly picking up and spreading the virus unnecessarily, and causing the rate of infections to increase more rapidly, which threatens the capability of our health system, and threatens its workers, and regular folks that are going about life prudently, respecting others, and protecting their families.
So… chances are that most people will get the virus, and most of those will have symptoms, but few will have a serious illness, and a miniscule 1% or 2% of anyone infected will succumb.
We need to simply exercise an abundance of caution and hope that the rate of illness builds slowly enough for our health facilities and professionals to cope and reduce fatalities to less than 1%.
(The following graphic is from the CDC (Centres for Disease Control) and it seems to be free to use, and it’s all over twitter etc.)
Yours,
Gene Phage – Cornwall Ontario
Excellent letter and thoughts Gene Phage. Some people, like the teacher you mentioned, just don’t get why things are being done. Here’s hoping they don’t catch it and infect others.
The graphic is missing.