Is the danger of COVID-19 over, or is it just that we’re all over it? Sadly, it appears to be more the latter than the former.
In Illinois, we’ve posted a dramatic drop in the number of COVID-19 deaths. That’s something for which we can all be proud. We’ve got widespread testing, and our hospitals were not overwhelmed. That’s among the reasons why we’ve seen an easing of restrictions.
Unfortunately, as a state we also posted some of the highest numbers of infections and deaths in the nation. One could argue that Chicago skewed our numbers, but one need only look at the collar counties to see it wasn’t just the city.
Now that we’ve seen an easing of restrictions, coupled with the recent mass protests throughout the state and country, it will be interesting to see where our number of infections goes.
Will we see a spike in cases in the next few weeks? It’s possible.
Some states that eased their restrictions sooner than Illinois did have seen dramatic increases in the number of cases. According to Johns Hopkins University data, at least 19 states were showing an increase of 10% or more over the past week. A few states, such as Maryland and Oregon, have decided to slow the pace of their reopening.
Some scientists fear that we’re going to see a spike in cases in the fall. Other scientists say there won’t be a second wave because we haven’t really seen the end of this first wave. They say the death toll in the U.S. could reach 130,000 by July 4, and perhaps 200,000 by October. That’s far, far more than any other nation in the world.
In other words, we really haven’t beat this thing. No matter how nice the weather is and how tired we are of hearing about it. Call it COVID-19 fatigue, but this isn’t over yet.
As with many things in life, the message here isn’t a matter of black and white. I’m sure it would much easier on all of us if it were.
There’s a good principle I like to remind myself of when thinking about all of this: Just because I can do something doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea.
For instance, no one is saying that you can’t leave your house. Or go out to shop. Or enjoy yourself. Or protest. You have every right in the world to do that, as long as you aren’t breaking any laws. And none of those things is against the law.
However, with the freedom to do all those things comes responsibility.
The responsible thing these days is to wear a mask in public.
The responsible thing is to maintain 6 feet of distance between yourself and other people.
The responsible thing is not to be out and about if you aren’t feeling well.
The responsible thing is to isolate yourself if you know you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or if you suspect you have.
That said, if you want to have a yard sale in the middle of a pandemic, well, that’s your right. Just be responsible.
If you want to travel across the country because you feel you must and plan to be careful while you do it, that’s your right, too.
You do you, as one of my friends put it.
However, what each of us does really does have an impact on everyone else.
Whether we pay attention and do our part might be the difference between beating this thing and suffering through another increase in cases.
Please choose wisely.
• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.
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June 17, 2020 at 09:02PM
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Oliver: Danger of virus hasn't passed just because we're all tired of it - Northwest Herald
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