Today's Flat Tire Ministry isn't solely about the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Nor is today's thought about how the pandemic is impacting the world we live in and also the world that we see mainly on television or through websites on a screen. No, during today's time I just wanted to share with you some data and then ask you to put things into perspective while asking the question of why we may be more complacent than what is apparent on the surface level.
Death is real. Families across our state, nation, and around the world are being impacted and changed each day as we move through the novel Coronavirus' impact on society. I don't know how much of our response is based on solid prevention and to what extent our plans are centered on fear and anxiety? I mean we should be taking the recommendations from world health leaders and applying those to our daily lives. Washing our hands for at least 20 seconds, staying home to comply with social distancing recommendations, and following guidelines by groups such as the Center for Disease Control CDC, World Health Organization WHO, and other infectious disease experts who spend their days and nights creating best practice recommendations for staying safe and healthy during this world health issue. Yet are we really taking the recommendations of health experts to heart or are we just living in fear and panic right now due to the barrage of daily news updates and death totals ticker-taping across the television screen or on your wall on Facebook?
I don't think I've seen the recommendation to buy up as much tissue paper as possible. When did the CDC put out the memo to purchase as much ammo as possible from your local Walmart or gun dealer? How about the recommendation of spreading fear and panic on social media just to get a reaction of more fear and panic? I don't recall that one either. Hang with me, I'm about to get to the thought provoking point of today's FTM Thought just needed to set the stage for what's coming.
The pandemic is real, the potential outcomes are reason to take care, and the reality that lives are being lost and that more lives will be lost each day is a not to settling fact that is true, but at what point in history did we become immune to other causes of death that are potentially within our hands to decrease totals, yet when you stop and think about the following data it's hard to figure out the root of our fear and can I say over the top reaction at this time in history.
Okay, to set the stage I did a little math based on projections. As of April 11, 2020, there have been 16,570 deaths attributed to the COVID-19 virus in the United States. Prayers for the families that have lost loved ones during this outbreak. Next I chose a date of February 1, 2020 as a starting point for purposes of averaging the number of deaths related to the virus here in the U.S. So, roughly 70 days. Check my math if you like, it wasn't and still isn't my strongest suit. Taking the total number of deaths to date April 11th, and dividing that by the number of days we have been really fighting the virus in the U.S. gives us the number of 236 deaths per day. This is terrible, trust me when I say I am not making light of death, the impact it has on a family, nor the impact this is having on our society mentally, emotionally, and economically. Instead I wanted to provide you with something to cause you to pause, take a deep breath (at a safe 6ft. distance from anyone else), and then sift through your reactions and responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Here's some totals I researched from 2018 which apparently is the most complete year available. Not sure why I had such a hard time gathering 2019 numbers, but it is what it is. The number of deaths in the United States due to cancer in 2018 was 609,640. Over 700,000 families lost a loved one to a heart disease related death in 2018. Those two leading causes of death accounted for roughly 1.3 million deaths in 2018 right here in the United States of America. Doing the same math, but dividing by 365 days to account for a full year gives us a total of 3,561 deaths per day in the United States. Now what was our projected COVID total number of deaths per day based on current trends? I believe we are looking at 236 lives lost per day. Differential, over 3,300 more lives are lost each year due to two health related issues. Have we just become numb to the number of people that die each day just because heart attacks and cancer deaths have had a toll on so many families over the years and so those numbers don't matter anymore? Don't tell me that cancer and heart disease are different from the Coronavirus because we can't help prevent those. Think about the aforementioned recommendations given to us as methods to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. Now think about the Surgeon General's warning on that pack of Marlboros, I think it goes something like this, smoking cigarettes causes cancer. Really, a warning about contracting cancer is written on the side of a package that has to be voluntarily purchased and we can't do anything about the spread of cancer? Heart disease isn't the same you say? Each year health officials tell us to cut back on certain foods, embed daily exercise into our regimen, and to reduce the stress in our lives, all proven methods to reduce heart attacks or strokes yet the numbers tick progressively upwards each year. Where's the panic over cancer and heart disease? Shouldn't there be a widespread shortage of apples, oranges, and spinach? Shouldn't the back order on bicycles and tennis shoes be like 6 weeks on Amazon? Just something to think about.
Well some of our readers aren't as convinced yet about my data and the eclipsing total deaths of two diseases, over 3,000 more each year, so let's add in three additional causes of death that we as a society appear to be numb to as their totals also climb skyward each year. In the United States of America, land of the free and home of the brave, the land where the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness is our mantra, 16,214 lives were lost to the hands of a murderer, 67,367 Americans lost their lives in a drug related death, and a total that should not be even on the data chart 48,344 individuals took their own life in what is probably recognized as the most advanced and prolific society in the world. Those three alone give us a total of 131,925 deaths mapping out across our grand country. Take that number and divide by the same 365 days and the total of deaths attributed to three not so novel causes of death outranks the COVID-19 numbers by over 100 each day.
Can't take any steps towards reducing those numbers? Maybe we do, but those totals are going up my friends not down. Our interventions must not be effective would be my summation. So, what is the answer? What is the solution? Is being in a panic over the COVID-19 outbreak just because it is labelled a "novel" or new cause of death? When the health world creates an immunization, and they most certainly will, will the yearly totals of those that still die from Coronavirus just be another data point on the number of lives lost in 2020, 2021, 2022...?
Should we be concerned? Yes. Should we be making all reasonable efforts to flatten the curb of COVID-19? Absolutely. Should we be putting more efforts into helping our teenagers find something to put their energy and efforts into that will give them meaning and a purpose in life which could possibly decrease the number of deaths related to drugs, crime, and suicide? Without doubt that answer is yes. Should we as a nation be placing our faith in something bigger than face masks and Facebook? There again the answer is a resounding yes.
Faith, trust, and a promise should provide us with peace during this storm, and the example of how we should be living our lives each day, COVID-19 or not, is easily accessible. If you have a faith then you know what I am referring to, if you don't believe in something bigger than yourself, then you probably are stockpiling the Charmin as I am writing this post. Today is Easter Sunday for those of the Christian faith. There is no better day to turn to God than the day at hand, and today being the day it is gives us even more reason to place our trust in Him. Death is real, Jesus came to this earth to give us hope through His death. Hope that is grounded in faith, and faith that does not fail. I am praying for our communities, our states, and our countries, but that is not simply because of the recent outbreak of a virus. No, my prayers are for this world to not be complacent, to not ignore the obvious, and to embrace the cure for what truly ails this world. I will continue to believe and I will continue to pray for our world. What will you do?
Just something to think about wouldn't you say?
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”. Joshua 1:9
Coach Carter
Great post
ReplyDelete