PANDEMIC: No hoax, folks

I find it disturbing that there are so many Americans who have deluded themselves into thinking that this pandemic is a “hoax.” What if three 747s were going down EVERY DAY in the U.S., killing all the passengers onboard? And this went on and on, every day for months, until 175,000 Americans had died and there was no end in sight. Would they call THAT a “hoax?”

Could it be that if the 747s were filled mostly with the elderly, that they would consider it a “hoax” then too? Or would they be more concerned about the cost of the jets lost than the lives lost? Actually, the daily national cost of hospital care for COVID victims is on par with, or slightly more expensive than, the cost of building three replacement 747s each day…

When will the maskless masses understand that THEY are the ones who are extending the pandemic? THEY are responsible for extending the economic downturn and school shutdowns. We, like most of Europe now, could have had this pandemic largely under control if THEY would only overcome their ignorance and prejudice and do the right thing — wear a damn mask, socially distance and wash your hands.

JUSTIN STORMOGIPSON, M.D.

Coeur d'Alene