To the editor:
Do we think that COVID-19 virus is going away soon?
How is it that the flu virus shows up every fall throughout the United States and the world? A recent post by Johns Hopkins Medicine stated that as of April 8, there were “approximately 1,444,557 cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with 399,929 cases in the U.S..” While for the flu there are an “estimated one billion cases worldwide, with 9.2 million to 45 million cases in the U.S.” per year.
As for deaths from COVID-19, as of April 8, Johns Hopkins Medicine said there were “approximately 83,149 deaths reported worldwide and with 12,011 deaths in the U.S.” While from the flu there are, “291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide with 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.”
Since April 8, the numbers of new infections and deaths from COVID-19 have climbed, but as Michael Hichborn, president of the Catholic research body The Lepanto Institute, has stated, “No one that I know of denies that COVID-19 is highly contagious. What most people are frustrated over is the fact that the entire world has practically shut down over an illness that, while contagious, has a relatively low rate of serious cases.”
Regarding the Catholic Church, Mr. Hichborn goes on to say, “What is being disputed is the rationality of forcibly closing down society and stripping away sacraments from the faithful when the statistical numbers in no way warrant it.”
Does it makes sense that we have asked people to stay at home and not go to work and potentially lose their jobs and their ability to support their families?
Can we not trust the people to stay at home if they are sick and in general protect themselves? Everywhere I see evidence that people are looking out for each other; their neighbors, their families, and members of their churches.
Young people are minimally affected by this virus. Does it make sense to keep them confined at home, while every day opportunities for them are slipping away?
Does it make sense that liquor stores, abortion clinics, camp sites, and golf courses can remain open while we cannot attend church?
It is time for Americans to contact our state representatives, our governor, our congressmen in Washington, and President Donald Trump and ask them to open up our businesses and factories and put America back to work. My friends, that makes sense.
Rich Braun, Reedsburg