Downplaying COVID-19 is toying with people’s lives (commentary)

Courtesy of Bastrop Advertiser
Aug. 26, 2021
By Bill McCann

When I was 12, a bunch of us kids played a game with a toy cap gun – until my mother showed up. The gun used a roll of caps, which were small circles of chemical compounds that made a loud “pop” each time the gun’s hammer hit a cap. One kid took a roll and randomly scratched the caps so that most didn’t pop. Then each player took turns “shooting” the kid next to him. If the gun popped, the kid was out of the game. The shooting ended when mom appeared. She confiscated the gun and lectured us about making a game of playing with people’s lives.

I remembered mom’s lecture recently when reading news and commentary about the latest surge of COVID-19 and excuses people use to play down its seriousness and undermine the value of social distancing, face coverings and vaccines in saving lives.

A staggering amount of disinformation continues to flow from folks whose medical expertise comes mainly from watching Fox News flunkies or listening to politicians like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who seems more concerned about his political future than his constituents’ health. Abbott, who preaches “personal responsibility” for wearing masks during the pandemic, was maskless when addressing a maskless Republican crowd last week, then tested positive for COVID-19. So much for personal responsibility. Abbott has whined in the past about federal overreach but is OK with state overreach, including opposing local leaders seeking to protect constituents by requiring masks in schools and other public facilities.

Masks may be inconvenient, but they help reduce the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Masks don’t make the virus disappear, but they increase your odds of staying virus-free. Ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Mayo Clinic or the World Health Organization.

Some of the sickest comments I’ve seen on social media are from people who say: “Wear a face mask if you want, but it’s my right not to wear one.”

What they are really saying is: “I care only about myself.” It’s not only selfish thinking, but misguided. Masks help keep the wearer from breathing in the virus and from spreading it to others, according to advice from the Harvard Medical School. The woman wearing the mask on the food aisle is helping keep you safe – and your family safe – if she has the virus and doesn’t know it. You should be thanking her, not staring at her like she’s from another planet.

Some folks think it’s a political badge of honor to go maskless or refuse to get a COVID-19 shot. It’s really a badge of ignorance. Others fear the vaccine will make them sick or point out that some vaccinated people get COVID-19 anyway. Yes, the vaccines are not perfect. But for nearly everyone, side effects are minor. Researchers estimated early on that the vaccines would be about 90% effective. They were right. I’ll take those odds any day.

Unfortunately, Dick Farrel failed to take those odds. Farrel, a Florida-based conservative commentator, called COVID-19 a “scam-demic” and railed against COVID-19 vaccines. Then he changed his tune when he was hospitalized with COVID-19. He said he wished he had gotten vaccinated. Farrel died Aug. 4 of COVID-19 complications. His is one of numerous stories of people who regretted not getting vaccinated or who begged for it when they got sick, and it was too late.

I wish those who are toying with people’s lives by spewing misinformation would instead tell us the facts such as Dick Farrel’s sad story. I wish they were as compassionate as my mom. I hope they get vaccinated. It’s the only way we are going to stop this pandemic.

McCann is a contributing columnist for the Advertiser. He is a retired journalist and may be reached at [email protected].