Rob Kerchner | Pandemic Pondering

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
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Remember when they said, “If it can save one life, then it’s worth it?” 

Well, if it takes just as many lives, then it definitely wasn’t worth it.

In case you haven’t heard, the number of deaths in the UK are running at the same level as during the COVID-19 pandemic, year after year after year now, yet the deaths are no longer being caused by COVID. Something similar is happening here in the U.S., and all around the world. And unlike COVID deaths, these tend toward the young.

Even aside from vaccine side effects, there is very little doubt that the number of cumulative years of quality human life that will have been lost by the response to the pandemic will vastly outweigh the cumulative years “saved.”

How much damage was done to cardiovascular health by confining billions of people to their homes — closing parks and gyms and almost any form of outdoor recreation, closing down higher-quality dine-in options but leaving the drive-through windows buzzing 24 hours a day?

It is pretty well-established that obesity can shave over a decade off of a person’s life. But even just being overweight can trim off a few years. Imagine the collective impact of pushing tens of millions of people’s scales up by 10-20 pounds.

“Alright everyone! We’ve got a virus on the loose that is pretty mild as long as you are in good cardiovascular shape. So let’s crank up the junk food consumption, scale way back on the exercise, and wear masks as often as possible! Don’t worry, we’re from the government and we’re here to help!”

Rob Kerchner

Valencia

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