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“Schools are a very appetizing opportunity. I just saw a nice piece in The Lancet arguing the opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3%, in terms of total mortality. Any, you know, any life is a life lost, but … that might be a tradeoff some folks would consider.”
–Dr. Mehmet Oz, April 15, on Fox News/Sean Hannity
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“Appetizing opportunity”
“May only cost us 2 to 3%, in terms of total mortality”
Syndicated TV doctor and regular Fox News guest Dr. Oz created quite a firestorm with his appearance on Wednesday evening on the Sean Hannity show. He was was acting as the point of the spear for the administration’s new push to reopen the economy.
Because they have absolutely no plans for the comprehensive testing and screening needed to do so with even a modest degree of safety, their strategy is to soften up the American public to the idea that some of us will have to be sacrificed for the sake of the economy. They do so even though they know they risk the possibility of inflicting even greater long term damage to the economy if their actions end up prolonging this crisis and spread the virus even further.
So, out come their version of experts– the Dr. Oz’s and Dr. Drew’s and Dr. Phil’s– pulled directly off the TV screen to convince us that, hey, losing another 2-3% is no big deal at this point, especially if it means that Wall Street is happy.
So we end up with an “appetizing opportunity.”
Yes, when I think of putting other people’s children in harm’s way, appetizing is the first word that comes to mind. As a matter of fact, my mouth is watering a little right now just thinking about it.
Sounds ghoulish, doesn’t it? That’s because it is.
Now, I am willing to cut Dr. Oz a small break here and suggest that he was not talking about sacrificing 2-3% of the population. That would be unforgivably vile, if that is what he meant with his words.
He may have meant that we would be adding 2-3% to the total dead when this all over by doing so.
But even that is borderline ghoulish.
Right now, we have around 32,000 deaths and even that is a suspect number because of the lack of testing for the many who died from similar causes in the past couple of months and as a result were not added to the totals. But let’s say that if we continue as it is currently trending, we may very well end up with 100,000 dead.
That number comes with a continuance of the shutdown that has been in place now for the past month or so in most places. Without that shutdown and physical distancing, that 100,000 number would no doubt be in our rearview mirror by now and we would be heading to perhaps a number with seven figures in it.
But let’s go with that 100,000 number. Under the situation using Dr. Oz’s appetizing opportunity, they have reopened the schools first. Kids and teachers are back in place. So are bus drivers and cafeteria workers and custodians.
Let’s suppose Dr. Oz meant that by doing this we would only be adding 2-3% to the overall death total. That means that, using the 100K figure, that you could tack on another 2- 3000 deaths.
That sounds yummy, doesn’t it?
And who would we willingly sacrifice to join this elite group?
Whose child?
Which teacher? Or bus driver?
Which parent? Or husband or wife?
If it’s your kid, will you just shrug your shoulders and be happy because the unemployment rate is dropping once more?
How about your spouse or your mom or dad?
Still sound appetizing?
And that is with still giving the good doctor the benefit of a doubt in what he meant with his words.
You have to remember that Dr. Oz, along with Dr. Drew, were prominent voices at the beginning of this who claimed this whole situation was being blown out of proportion, that is was a media fabrication. Dr. Drew has since apologized for being wrong in his judgement. But Dr. Oz has taken a different path and is on the dunce train. He’s now saying that the crisis that he said wasn’t a big deal might kill a lot of folks so it’s no big deal if we tack on a few more for the sake of expediency.
I will believe that it’s truly safe not by the words of a TV personality doctor best known for peddling fringe pseudo-science remedies or a reality TV president*** that displays sociopathic behavior on a regular basis. Or the words of any of his toadying cronies.
No, it will take some sort of action.
I will believe it’s safe when the president*** hauls his svelte 239 pounds, along with his whole clan of grifting cowboys and cowgirls, to the front of a Walmart and act as greeters for an afternoon. They could shake hands and take selfies with all the good, safe people for a couple of hours. That might convince me.
Hey, he could even combine it with a golf trip to his Bedminster, NJ, resort that he is so itching to take. There’s a Walmart only about 15 miles down the highway from it that would be the perfect place for such an event.
Now, that sounds like an appetizing opportunity to me.
Well written Gary. The amazing lengths the conservative side of the news goes go to just to make the leader look good should make every one of us ashamed of our fellow man’s gullibility
I read 2-3% of the total population which would be around 18 million. There is no other place to spread germs like a grade school, it would spread like wildfire.
Actually, 2-3% of the total population would be around 7-10 million. Like I said, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt that he couldn’t be that uncaring, evil or stupid to have meant that scarificing that much of the total population was okay. Maybe I shouldn’t have been that kind in estimating him? You’re right, a school would be a hot house for spreading virus.
But if he*** says it will be OK then we should all believe him!
It’s not like he’s ever led anyone astray before or bent the truth a bit, right?
Yeah, that 2-3% is for “total mortality”. It’s insanity. Whatever the actual percentage, going back to work early, whle the virus is still rampant, would cause hundreds of thousands of deaths, and probably require an additional lock-down to curb the new infections.
And for some reason, these people keep forgetting the risk of the virus mutating, as happened with the Spanish flu, into something more deadly. The more hosts, the greater the likelihood of it mutating.
The only thing that will work is to deprive the virus of hosts, and nip it as close to the bud as possible. Opening the floodgates is suicidal.
We can look at what other countries are doing. China, despite it’s flat-lined (fake) numbers has not really gone back to work. And there’s information leaking out that they are having a second outbreak.
There are so many deadly outcomes, many if which you have pointed out, that these greedy fools are willing to risk with the lives of others just for the sake of economic expediency. At the same time, they fail to implement any of the necessary safeguards such as universal testing and contact tracing. Why people who should seemingly know better choose to follow the lead of this administration befuddles me. I don’t know whether they are just idiots or have some vile ulterior motives. We can only hope that the more clear-minded guidance of the governors prevail.
They are just idiots. If you send people back to work you get a double-whammy, which is many more sick, and then we can’t work anyways.
And extend the entire timeframe of damage. They refuse to take a long view and do what is absolutely necessary. The short-sightedness that has overtaken this country is mind-blowing.