Whether everyone realizes it or not, it’s past time to be honest with ourselves. Proponents of mask mandates are asking us to “mask up” forever. There’s no way around it. Even if some of them don’t realize it themselves.
I certainly don’t want to bore you with a litany of statistics. So, I’ll share just two examples to help illustrate my point:
- According to the CDC, there are about 650,000 cancer patients each year who receive chemotherapy.
- The CDC also says that since 2010 there’s been between 12,000 to 61,000 deaths annually from the flu virus.
As I’m sure you’re aware, those receiving chemotherapy treatments “are at risk for developing infections that may lead to hospitalization… and even death.” The reason for this is, of course, because chemo weakens the immune system.
In the case of the flu — which, like Covid-19, is spread through respiratory droplets — the list of those in the “high risk” group for developing complications is interesting. Why? Because of how similar it is to the list of those vulnerable to Covid-19.
Yet, when we consider these two examples alone (and there are others), do you ever recall society at large being ordered to “mask up” in the name of saving lives? I sure don’t. (NOTE: Before someone points out that the flu shot is available to combat that virus, I’ll remind you that even the CDC admits it’s nowhere close to being 100% effective.)
With so many vulnerable people in our midst then, where were these morally superior proponents of mask mandates prior to Covid-19? Why were there no outcries to save the “most vulnerable among us”? Now that they’ve taken this leap of thinking, can we logically expect them to abandon their newfound enlightenment in relation to “public health”?
You see, once a person accepts the premise that society must “mask up to save lives”, there’s really no going back. Even if Covid-19 is eradicated from the face of the earth, do these folks somehow turn a blind eye to the next really bad flu season that might just kill grandma? No way. To do so would make them no better than the “anti-maskers” so many of them despise.
Oh, and we haven’t even mentioned restrictions on businesses and lockdowns. Indeed, the term “new normal” could have lasting consequences if some people get their way.
Make no mistake about it, the pressure is on for a major culture shift in America. And it needs to be rejected.
Sources:
- Information for Health Care Providers | Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients | CDC
- Disease Burden of Influenza | CDC
- https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/low-blood-counts/infections/why-people-with-cancer-are-at-risk.html#:~:text=Chemotherapy%20(often%20called%20chemo)%20is,cell%2C%20in%20your%20blood).
- High-Risk Groups for Flu Complications (marshfieldclinic.org)
- Do I need to Take Extra Precautions Against COVID-19 | CDC
- Vaccine Effectiveness: How Well Do the Flu Vaccines Work? | CDC