Where do I really stand on COVID?
When it comes to COVID-19, it feels as though I might have a split personality disorder.
There’s the version of me that takes it seriously, looking at the rising number of cases, considering the impact on our health care system, and trying to “do my part” to slow the spread of a disease that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. However, there’s also the part of me that struggles to stay as vigilant and strict as public health officials (and my wife) would like me to be. To be completely honest, I rarely wear a mask in public and I still don’t wash my hands as much as I should (though I am getting better).
When it comes to discussing COVID-19 with other people, whether as an ongoing news story or a political topic, I find myself stuck in the middle between those who think the “whole thing is a hoax” or “overblown,” and those who are afraid to leave their house out of fear of contracting the dreaded virus.
More often than not, I tend to lean toward what some have called the “contrarian” side of the debate. I question some of the more extreme measures used to combat the virus, and I always like reminding myself (and others) that there are still far more deadlier — but much more mundane — threats that face us every day. Driving a car, for example, is still more likely to cause death or serious injury, especially when you dare to actually follow the speed limit on Highway 13 and incur the wrath of people who assume that 55 miles per hour is really a minimum.
With all of these conflicting thoughts in my head, the one ideal I try not to lose sight of is altruism. Simply put, this means doing things out of a “selfless concern for the well-being of others.” Like many people my age and younger, the fear of actually dying from COVID-19 seems pretty remote (though it does happen). That’s an easy thought-trap to fall into, especially when you’ve heard about so many people contracting the disease and suffering few, if any, symptoms.
But that’s ignoring all the people in your life — and the community you live in — who have compromised immune systems for one reason or another. These are not only our parents and grandparents, but people with chronic conditions and horrible diseases like cancer. If I stop and think about them from time to time, it hits me hard enough so I keep my distance from people and break out the mask more often.
I’m far from a perfect soldier in the battle against COVID-19, but my job as a journalist requires me to seek out the truth and publicize it. That’s what this week’s front page story is about. As I was writing about the high case numbers in this area, I was forced to admit to myself “Yes, COVID-19 is still a thing.”
OUT FOR A WALK
KEVIN O’BRIEN
EDITOR