There’s an elephant in the room and we prefer not to mention its name: fear. We prefer blaming people for not willing to work after having received government support in order to survive (eg, National Review). My girlfriend is a doctor and meets people who don’t dare going back to work. I’m unwilling booking a vacation flight as I fear that airplanes could cause a high viral load.
Fear paralyzes our decision-making. Creating fear is easy; containing fear is hard. Unfortunately, fear sells. Hence, (online) magazines, newspapers and social media are all trying to outperform each other when it comes to fear. Governments are using a meaningless and misleading yardstick (ie, the number of contaminations). No wonder that fear rules global societies.
Recently, I called my general practitioner for waiving my scheduled vaccination. She asked me why. I replied that I’m asymptomatic. She immediately understood and said: “OK”. Nevertheless, most people do not seem to be aware what an asymptomatic virus carrier is: you do get contaminated, you do not get sick, and transferring the virus is ‘very rare’ (WHO).
The majority of the global population is asymptomatic; another elephant in the room. The average Covid mortality rate would be up to 5% (1 in 20) when all people were symptomatic virus carriers. This would cause global corona fatalities up to 400 million (ie, 5% of about 8 billion). Today’s actual number of global deaths is slightly in excess of 3.3 million (source).
Hence, a (very) small group of symptomatic virus carriers has faced an excessive death toll. That group might be as small as 5% of the (global) population – or less. For 95+% of all people, the immune system works as it should. Example: 8 billion people x 5% average symptomatic x 2% average fatality rate is 8 million – rather than 3.3 million.
Obviously, the above is with hindsight and a symptomatic fatality rate of up to 5% (1 in 20) is still huge. The only way to contain fear is to be transparent about this. I doubt that will ever happen. It could make governments liable for misleading the public and for wrongful lockdowns.
Despite being an asymptomatic virus carrier, I’m far from eager taking a vacation flight. Why?? I might be wrong. Doubt and fear paralyze our decision-making.
“We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.”. A quote by François de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680), a “noted French moralist and author of maxims and memoirs”.
0 Comments