As the mask debate rages on, fueled by non-scientific rhetoric and blind visceral fury, we can only analyze with fascination the links to this polarizing dilemma, and the carnage which it has unleashed on relatively educated global society.
There was a time when we would take for granted the support of something so obvious as reducing the risk of injury or death. We would require little if any defence of it at all. Seat belts, motorcycle and cycling helmets, as well as the wearing of surgical masks during surgery and medical treatments were rarely challenged by the general public. If a challenge was made, for example, by cyclists, there was very little uptake or groundswell, and the adverse impacts would be contained to the individual refusing to comply.
Why now, do we have this divide between those who believe in the science of prevention of disease and those who, now boldly and sometimes aggressively, believe that being ordered to don a mask is an unnecessary, annoying imposition and an affront to one's personal liberty.
You need only to observe the mask-less protests that have now crept across the Canadian border and beyond. These protests were inspired by those south of the border. The chilling similarities in the messaging and the links to the barrage of misinformation is not only alarming; to some, it's absolutely terrifying.
Protesters carry signs reading: "Covid is a media led conspiracy," "Healthy people don't need masks,'' "Fear is Killing our Country," and "We Will Not Comply".
All the while, in many cities in the United States, hospitals are packed to capacity with records of admissions being broken daily. Patients are dying at an alarming rate, causing once again, a morgue-capacity crisis comparable to what was experienced earlier in New York and Florida.
Currently, in El Paso Texas, the Military had to be brought in to, as Mayor Dee Margo stated, "provide critical personnel to carry out our fatality management plan," as they dealt with a back-log of hundreds of bodies.
The United States leads the world in COVID-19 deaths, yet has only 4.5 percent of the global population. In an effort to make that statistic glaringly clear, allow me to restate it using a comparison and actual numbers: The United States, with its population 330 million people has 273,000 COVID-19 deaths; whereas India, with its population of 1.38 billion, has 137,000 deaths as of November 30th.
The Systemic Spread of Confusion
When science-based warnings come from the likes of The World Health Organisation and the American Centre For Disease Control, are debunked and refuted by the President of the United States and his top COVID-19 medical advisor, Dr. Scott Atlas, who happens to be a Radiologist and not an Epidemiologist, undoubtedly, this will lead to a pandemic of confusion.
Almost 74 million people voted for President Trump in the recent U.S. election, and millions more below the voting age support him and his beliefs. When you have this many people potentially siding with his version of the facts, you have an uptake of misinformation that will permeate and spread as quickly as the virus itself.
Adding to the discourse is the messaging by the ultra-right television and radio talk shows, as well as the influences of the foreign Iran/Russia Social media disinformation networks. The American National Security Agency and the FBI have identified both Russian and Iranian interference in the American election, as well as their use of social media to spread misinformation and to incite social unrest.
We are witnessing an unprecedented attack on the American people from within their own country. An attack whose casualties so far exceed those of all wars that the US has fought in - from the Korean War to the present.
Tragically, Canada has no defence against this invasion of hypnotic ignorance. As we throttle up our preventative restrictions here at home, in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases, there is an increasing scepticism and pushback by the growing cult of deniers.
Real Time Scientific Evidence
In the southern hemisphere, as the 2020 influenza season comes to an end, a remarkable statistic has emerged. The regular non COVID-19 influenza season was virtually nonexistent. Many experts attribute it to mask wearing, social distancing, COVID-19 testing and hand washing.
Dr. Greg Poland from the Mayo clinic said, "Never in my forty year career have we seen rates so low."
Such examples, during saner times, would bring skeptics around to understanding the science of prevention. Yet today, regardless of overwhelming objective proof, we have some so emboldened and misguided that they put the entire community in danger.
Super Spreader In Chief
It is no secret that the President of the United States harbours a misguided and dangerous belief that herd immunity is the quickest way to move his country out of this crippling pandemic.
In September of this year during a town hall interview with George Stephanopoulos, the President spoke of herd immunity (mistakenly calling it herd-mentality). These were his words: "sure over a period of time it goes away. And you'll develop, you'll develop, like a herd-mentality it's going to be it's going to be herd-developed and that's going to happen, that will happen…"
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of Great Britain, appeared to believe in herd immunity, as well with these comments in February 2020 stating they were moving ahead to "use herd-immunity to protect the economy."
The rising impact of the pandemic became so dire that Great Britain had to change its tactics, and impose lockdowns, require mandatory mask wearing, testing and contact tracing.
In fact, the British Prime Minister himself contracted Covid-19 and required hospitalization, intensive care and the use of a ventilator to recover. Upon his release from hospital, the Prime Minister declared that the Corona virus, that nearly killed him, was like an "unexpected and invisible mugger."
Many experts estimate that 70% of the population would either have to have been vaccinated or have survived a Corona virus infection in order for herd-immunity to become effective. In the United States, this would mean 200 million people would have to get infected. At the current fatality rate of roughly 2%, 4 million Americans would unnecessarily have die to reach a virus driven immunity.
Ignorance or Sinister Motivation?
The Trump organization is highly invested in the global resort and hotel industry. Mr. Trump owns 10 luxury hotel properties and 19 golf courses world wide.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association reports that 8 in 10 hotel rooms are empty, in the United States, with 70% of their staff laid off.
This economic slowdown must have a devastating impact on the Trump empire, whose early tax returns show that Mr. Trump is carrying a debt load of 421 million dollars.
Surely the outgoing president is not actually placing his personal interests ahead of the best interests of his country and the world. Could the outgoing President have a vested interest in seeing this pandemic spread? Would he?
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr is a member of New Westminster city council.
