We’ve been hearing it all too much these days…gotta “flatten the curve.” The lockdowns were there to slow down the spread so that hospitals weren’t overwhelmed, millions didn’t die, etc, etc. It made sense, we listened to the experts, we stayed home.
‘Flattening the curve’ always assumed that certain deaths would be inevitable, especially those over the age of 64 or with respiratory issues, so we did what we could to delay that process. It also assumed that it would be beneficial in not overwhelming the health-care systems in place. Well that was the bait…now here’s the switch.
It didn’t take long for “flattening the curve” to die out. Hospitals throughout the states had thousands of empty beds and weren’t anywhere near the true threat of hospital capacity. Less than 1% of hospital patients in certain states, such as California, were coronavirus hospital capacity. The numbers were dropping, the governors were removing restrictions, and businesses were trying to recover from the economic damage and open back up.
Now, it’s moved from “flatten the curve” to “stop the virus at all costs.” Oh no, the left-washed media presents that cases are rising again and that it must be a ‘second wave.” Little do they share that cases are rising because more testing is being done. More than 40 million people have lost their jobs and here come the liberals wanting to close things up again, even after we “flattened the curve.”
More infections will happen, immunity strength will be built, and just like the flu, we must strive forward to reopen our societies and rebuild our lives again. Protests and riots are the related angst and lack of social opportunities that exploded into flames when George Floyd was killed. There have been 75,000 deaths from suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, yet the media doesn’t discuss those. They blow up the one corona death from New York or the one from Texas. These numbers don’t even count the severe cases of child abuse ER doctors have come to contact with.
Then there’s the social workers who say child abuse cases have plummeted 62% between mid-March and mid-April in comparison to the same period last year. Child protective services believe this is in referral from school staffers that has also dipped by 94%. The stress of unemployment and financial insecurity has strained relationships between children and those who care for them. The shutdown of schools and daycares forced children closer to adults who may not be safe.
COVID-19 has directly claimed thousands of lives but it is not from the disease itself – rampant unemployment, isolation, and uncertain future is what’s causing most people to lose boundaries on their behaviors. With social norms on the back-burner, some people can drink in the middle of the day and do things they wouldn’t normally do. These toxic behaviors may be hard to break and could lead to more health problems or alcohol abuse. People need to be working again. We’ve got to get people connected back to other people.
