Brian Wagner: We need leadership to protect us – Loveland Reporter-Herald

We have to face reality. As of May 4, this is where Colorado stood with the COVID-19 pandemic:

Just looking at these numbers should be enough even for the farthest right-of-right-wing macho alpha males to comply with social distancing and disinfection protocols. Nearly 1 in 5 are hospitalized if they are diagnosed with COVID-19. Out of those diagnosed, 1 in 20 die from the virus. The sad part about these numbers is that out of 5.7 million people in Colorado, only 83,266 had been tested. That is only around 1.5% of the state. This testing rate is atrociously low.

These stats tell you a few things:

1. Colorado public health leaders and private health care systems have completely failed in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 is highly contagious, and we have no idea how much it has spread or what the odds of being exposed are. Therefore, we have to assume everyone has been exposed and can spread the virus to each of us. That is a ridiculous strategy. Its expensive, it has shut down our economy, and the required social distancing protocols are an impractical solution for the long term. People will get tired of these rules and ignore them at some point, and the virus will surge again.

2. Where are the tests? Given our supposedly leading first-class diagnostic industry, and the very adequate lead time notification in January from China, there is no excuse for not having a simple full scale portable diagnostic test menu for COVID-19 today. But we dont. Little to no testing means that we have no idea about the impact of the virus, or the ability to make our workplaces and public places safe again. We have no comprehensive view of who has the virus, where the virus is located, and where it is spreading. The lack of testing capability has devastated our economy and will kill many thousands more people who will be infected because they had no access to COVID-19 testing, and will seek out medical help in the latest stages of the disease, when the odds of survival are low.

3. We supposedly have the most advanced medical technology in the world, and we pay $12,000 for every man, woman and child for health care in this country. Trump was notified multiple times that this pandemic was coming in the months prior to the first COVID-19 infection. Previous to that, our CDC and public health agencies knew that this pandemic was a highly likely catastrophe for many years, and yet we have no medical stockpiles at FEMA or in the healthcare system. Our POTUS and our federal government have completely failed us. Americans should be furious about this.

So we dont know what the odds are of being exposed to the virus, whether they are low or high. We make decisions everyday based on a perceived understanding of the risks of living. We understand the low risk of riding in or driving a car. We know airplanes are very safe. We know eating meat from the grocery store is safe. We allow the doctor to do surgery on us because we know its safe. What we dont know is how safe are we living in the U.S. with one of the worst outbreaks of COVID-19 in the world. So now we want to open the economy again? Without any testing available on a widespread basis? I dont think that is wise. Another wave of the virus could completely wipe out our health care system, which is currently happening, especially in the rural parts of the country. I think its time that we vote in national leadership that will protect our lives and our economy. Donald Trump has got to go.

Brian Wagner is a Loveland resident.

Originally posted here:
Brian Wagner: We need leadership to protect us - Loveland Reporter-Herald