While we are worried about WWIII, currently most visible in the Ukrainian invasion but occurring in the gray world of online conflict and crypto fiddling, it's important to note that the Covid pandemic is now a full two years of age.
We are now at over 6 million deaths due to the virus worldwide, with the United States nearing 1 million.
That is an astounding number, revealing something disturbing about America's health system, general level of health, and political dysfunction. The overall wealth of a nation clearly has little to do with limiting unnecessary death and disease. The U.S. is a big place with a long tradition of valuing freedom, even the freedom to engage in risky behaviors. As a society, we have made the collective decision that a certain number of traffic deaths drug deaths and gun deaths are regrettable but acceptable.
Part of that decision has to be our willingness to sacrifice citizens who are not as productive as the nation's ethos demands. If you are poor, not white, or elderly (or some combination), your death does not rise to the level of concern needed for changes to be made.
Yes, masking and social distancing are pretty much over, certainly here in Colorado. Yes, it is difficult to measure just how much masking, etc., helped reduce deaths or hospitalizations. There will be ongoing arguments, certainly.
Much clearer is that vaccines are the only reliable way to attack the pandemic. That we still have about 27 percent of Americans who have not yet received at least one vaccination dose, despite the easy availability, clear statistics, and incentives to feel safer in crowded areas.
Not surprisingly, most of this unvaccinated minority are younger (hey, I'm healthy and strong), less educated (only 19 percent of those with a college degree, for instance, are unvaccinated), and Republican (about 60 percent are declared Rs). Blame will be cast for many years to come, but it's hard not to point fingers at partisan media, social media, and politicians looking for angles.
In the end, however, vaccinations happen one-at-a-time and some of the holdouts may prefer to wait, even after a full year of free vaccines and piles of data confirming the effectiveness of the vaccines in keeping people alive. So I don't give up hope that the numbers will improve over the next year or so.
But masks were "recommended" rather than "required" at St. Luke's UMC just last week. Most people ignored the recommendation last Sunday, including the entire choir. Two years and vaccinations and sheer exhaustion made this inevitable, I suppose.
Last night Kathleen and I went to Prost, a newish beer garden offering pub food offerings here in Highlands Ranch. No masks, of course, but also nothing even approaching social distancing. Lots of noise. Lots of customers. Lots of fun (and the food and beer were tasty). Kathleen recommends the Reuben.
Highlands Ranch does not feature many poor people and I'm guessing most of the residents are vaccinated, with overall high levels of education. More money equals more health, and that's an American choice that is clear.
There are estimates that up to 75 percent of American deaths were preventable with a more efficient health system and less political divisiveness about vaccines.
It is not possible to nail this down, but why would I disagree with this estimate?
America is a nation that tolerates a lot of death, at least as long as "people like us" aren't dying in large numbers.
Prost!
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