On July 1, 2022, after the US passed the one-million-deaths mark and more than two years of pandemic, I calculated the following statistic based on the NY Times Coronavirus Tracker:
- In Sierra County 21.64% of us have been infected or about 1 out of every 5 people have been infected. This compares with about 1 out of every 4 persons (26.32%) nationally.
- Deaths per population: In Sierra County, 0.7463% or 7 out of every 1000 people died from Covid. In contrast, nationally, .3052% or about 3 out of every 1000 people died.
- When we get Covid in this county, we are more likely to die: Our mortality rate is 3.448% or about 34 people would die out of every 1000 infections in this county; whereas, in the US, mortality rate is 1.160% or 12 deaths in every 1000 cases.
In deaths, Sierra County is significantly worse than the rest of the country. We are twice as likely to die than in some other random place in the US.
In case you think that we are doing so poorly because of New Mexico statewide policies, here are the state stats:
- Cases per population: 0.2664, about 25% or 1 out of every 4 persons have been infected, as in the rest of the US.
- Deaths per population: 0.003754, about 0.4% or 4 out of every 1000 persons died, much less than in Sierra County.
- Deaths per cases: 0.01409, about 1.5% or 15 infected persons died in every 1000 cases, a much lower rate than in Sierra County.
We can argue and point fingers about how and why we have done and continue to do so poorly in the pandemic, but the reality is that we killed seventy seven of our neighbors in this county needlessly. I say needlessly because the illness is not itself alive and spreading on its own like a poisonous gas. The virus is not an outside enemy we are fighting a war against. It only lives, grows, and multiplies inside human beings, inside us. We keep it alive and pass it onto someone else to grow and reproduce. So the spreading of the disease is on us, on our attitudes, on our behaviors, on our decisions, and so the deaths are on us. Every person who died from Covid was Covid-free and then caught it from someone else in the community, from us.
We can explain these statistics by saying that Sierra County is home to many people, more than normal, who are more susceptible to serious and mortal infections because of age and medical conditions. But that only explains the numbers. It avoids the reality of infection and illness and death. And, it avoids the moral choices and moral deceptions that perpetrate this illness and death. Let’s not delude ourselves in thinking that since everyone dies, we need not concern ourselves with how or who dies and for what reason. Very simply put, we randomly killed seventy seven of our fellows, as if we just drew their names out of a box, and we seem unable to keep ourselves from continuing to draw names out of a box and killing the people.
What do we make of the fact that as a community we randomly kill others in the community for no apparent reason? Does it mean we, as a community, are careless of life, don’t value it except for our own? Does it mean that we are so enthralled with individual concerns we block out the lives of others? Does it mean that we are not a community but just an accidentally grouped bunch of people with our own lives to worry about? Is that self-centered way of living what we want?
And knowing this about ourselves, where do we go?
Right now, we are seeing about 4 new cases every day. Last week we were hovering around an average of 8 or 9 new cases a day. That is very much like the numbers we were seeing during the worst spikes of the pandemic. So, perhaps, we are just waiting to see which of us will be among the next seventy seven whose names are drawn.
According to census data I found, 37% of Sierra County citizens are seniors, who make up 80% of all Covid deaths. This compares to a population 65 and over of about 16% nationwide, less than half that of the Sierra County figure. I think, as you mentioned, that should help at least partially explain the data you introduced at the beginning of your piece.
It’s unfortunate this discussion has become so polarized. I suspect those who are the most dismissive of proper care and attention for this disease will read the Sentinel if they read anything at all.
The casual behavior many demonstrated during the epidemic is not an artifact of the Covid pandemic alone. It is a level of selfishness and lack of concern for others that permeates our world. I have no idea how this should be addressed. Religious leaders, philosophers, politicians and healers have been grappling with it for thousands of years. But of course the only way to guarantee compliance is not something most of us who live in a (relatively) free society would like.
I appreciated and enjoyed your piece.
As someone else already stated, we have a older population than the nat’l average, which explains most of whatever was trying to be said. I didn’t get much out of this article- something like ‘selfish lazy ignorant people spread covid’ – nothing useful. What’s the solution? A year ago I wrote in about Ivermectin and this same ‘investigative journo’ repeated the same script the NYT pushed. Since then multiple states have passed legislation protecting doctors px’ing IVM for Covid, and in Kansas if a Doctor fails to treat with one of the many options available, like IVM or HCQ, they can be charged with medical neglect, failure to treat. Hmm. So this article does nothing but bash the comunity, the author doesn’t seem to grasp viral spread, probably thinks masks and jabs work, and doesn’t mention early treatment once- early treatment that would have saved the majority of those who died. what a read
Kyle Smith says that “…in Kansas if a Doctor fails to treat with one of the many options available, like IVM or HCQ, they can be charged with medical neglect, failure to treat.” I wonder where he read that, since it seems such a bizarre law if it really were true. One can easily Google Kansas statutes to find out what is law there, and having done that, I think what he asserts is not true.
Kyle seems to be referring to some news earlier this year that the Kansas Senate approved Senate Bill No. 381, which, if passed into law, would have allowed physicians to prescribe unapproved and unproven medications for Covid-19 infections and not be sued for having done so. The text of the bill (linked above) very clearly says several times “a prescriber may prescribe” drugs not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for this purpose. It says nothing about the doctor having to do so, as Kyle seems to have misunderstood from his reading. And, contrary to what Kyle understands, the part of the bill dealing with medical neglect says the doctor is not liable for prescribing “off-label” drugs, not the doctor is liable for not prescribing ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine sulfate. [I understand that the multiple negatives in this sentence may cause difficulties, but it’s an upside down world.]
But, Bill No. 381 never became Kansas law. It was a bill, and you can go to the Kansas legislature’s summary to see what happened to this bill. Bill No. 381 “died in committee.” on May So, in Kansas things are not as Kyle says they are.
Generally, the Citizen tries to avoid propagating false rumors, but I have approved publishing Kyle’s comments in order to show how easily not being able to read slowly and accurately, not sifting through the available information, but reading aggressively and argumentatively leads to the spreading of misinformation.