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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 2020)
12 Wednesday, April 15, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... The needs of the many? By Tom Donahue Guest Columnist Despite all the news and analysis we hear every eve- ning, there appear to be many tough questions not being asked or answered. We get the mounting death toll and personal tragedy/heart- warming coping stories, but very little in the way of hard facts. It9s difficult not to become depressed, anxious, and hys- terical, especially when little else is talked about. But then, facts and rational unbiased reporting don9t boost ratings and low ratings don9t sell advertising. So let9s look at some of the facts. Following are CDC esti- mates for total cases and deaths for all types of influ- enza and for COVID-19 only. Included are the esti- mates for this flu season, a projected range for any flu season, and the worst year since the CDC began using their current method of esti- mating the total flu burden in the U.S. Est. Range (2010 - 2019) Worst Season (2017/18) This Season (thru 4/4) T h e C u re v s . T h e Disease While it can be argued that even one death is too many and that all this social distancing/business shut- down is everyone9s moral duty and not too great a price to pay for a few months, what about the 330 million- plus who are imprisoned in their own homes or the many millions who have lost their jobs? Many of whom can9t afford to lose their income for even a few weeks? Or the long-term economic impact to companies, indi- viduals, and the govern- ment of the U.S. shutdown and subsequent proposed bailout? Isn9t that going to bank- rupt the economy for a long time? There are some practical questions: " How does this flu season compare with others? " Once you get over the coronavirus, are you immune from then on? Unknown, but one of the research projects being touted is the use of antibodies from coronavirus survivors. " Are we going to go through this shutdown every year when a new pandemic rears its ugly head? I hope not. " Would the population as a whole be better off letting the virus rage through, taking those it will, then leaving the rest of us healthier and more immune to a new strain of virus? A real tough question. Any politician or busi- ness owner who had the gall to suggest that we carry on as <normal= 4 taking pre- cautions where we can (like frequent hand washing, stay- ing home when we are sick, building temporary hospital tents, ramping up the supply of ventilators and aggressive testing) 4 and let the virus take its toll, would be roasted alive by the media or sued for every penny they9ve got. " But don9t we soldier on already with any number of our daily activities? Don9t we get in a car every day, knowing that there are over 5,000,000 traffic accidents in Symptomatic Flu Cases 9,300,000 - 45,000,000 39,000,000 - 58,000,000 39,000,000 - 56,000,000 Flu Deaths 12,000 - 61,000 46,000 - 95,000 24,000 - 62,000 COVID-19 Only (thru 4/11) 492,416 (.15 percent Pop.) the U.S. per year and around 40,000 deaths? Don9t we get on airplanes, knowing that they might crash or be hijacked? Don9t we allow our kids to play sports knowing that they may be seriously injured or killed? We don9t ban automobiles or air travel or all children9s sports. The U.S. has a policy of not bow- ing to terrorists. Shouldn9t we have a policy of not bow- ing to diseases? " So I ask the final ques- tion: Do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? The many in this case are those 330 million- plus individuals who are severely impacted (some permanently and irreparably) by this shutdown and the few being those hundred thou- sands (maybe even few mil- lions) who may be hospital- ized or die. Fortunately, this writer doesn9t have to make that decision or answer that question. One thing is certain. If we do get out of this with less- than-expected casualties, the politicians will be falling all over each other patting them- selves on the back for taking quick and responsive action. Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and are not neces- sarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper. Quality Truck-mounted CARPET CLEANING Quality Cleaning 16 years in Reasonable Prices Sisters! — Credit Cards Accepted — ENVIROTECH 541-771-5048 Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#181062 RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL Holistic Mental Health Solutions Medication Management Counseling • Functional Medicine Audry Van Houweling PMHNP-BC Quick and fo Af rdable Help 541-595-8337 • www.shesoarspsych.com 102 E. Main Ave., Downtown Sisters 18,559 (.01 percent Pop.) Some qualifying statements: • The flu is not a reportable disease in the U.S. • The U.S. Influenza Surveillance System covers roughly 9 percent of the population. A mathematical model is used to arrive at the estimates. • The numbers for COVID-19 alone may be more accurate, and possibly greater, because of the increased awareness and testing that’s been done recently. They are also more current than the CDC’s total flu estimate (04/11 vs. 04/04). • The numbers for 2017/2018 are still preliminary. If you go by the numbers, COVID-19 is less than 1.5 percent of the total estimated flu burden so far for this flu season, though a greater portion of the estimated total flu deaths (approx. 30 percent to 77 percent, depending upon which estimate number you pick). The affected U.S. population percentages are .15 percent (total cases) and .01% percent (deaths). Moonset... THANK YOU to all our readers who have let us know how much they appreciate The Nugget Newspaper We are encouraged by your words and honored by your support! Readers of The Nugget Newspaper can support us by supporting our advertisers, as we will continue to do in any way possible through and beyond this crisis. Those readers who have signed on with supporting subscriptions are valued partners. PHOTO BY ROGER DETWEILER This month’s supermoon was a spectacular sight looming above the Cascade skyline for Sisters residents. 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