China & United States Covid Comparison
Easy Essay by LeRoy Chatfield
During my self-quarantine period – March 2020 to June 2021 – I checked the daily Covid death count twice a day, once in the early morning about 5 AM and again in the evening about 8 PM. I suppose this was my way of assessing how well or how poorly our country was doing to save lives. The number of new people infected at each reading seemed incredible, it was obvious the virus was out of control, and we were unable to stem the tide of its growth.
What I know about things medical would barely create a paragraph but I realized this virus was not the simple “Flu” that Trump said would soon blow over and not to worry about it! I also realized as never before that Trump was so erratic, chaotic and clueless, he had no idea how to lead the country to save lives, in fact, he was so disorganized, he couldn’t put two sticks together.
As the Covid numbers continued to climb twice a day, I realized that people well into old age – people like me! – were going to be the first to succumb. I tell you truthfully I knew instinctively that I was living in a daily life or death situation and I would have to hang on for dear life.
I lived in as much isolation as I could find, I masked up when I walked Fergus, avoided any groups of people that I might encounter during the walk, I washed my hands several times a day, I wiped down door knobs and other surfaces I would regularly touch including my six foot walking stick
I turned down any and all invitations from friends, neighbors and colleagues no matter how safe they sounded. If I needed to shop for something, I did so at 6 AM when most of the time I was the only customer in the store and I always wore a mask.
I had no idea whether any of these measures would help stave off the virus or not, but I felt the need to do something – anything – that might conceivably protect me.
If I sound panicked, I don’t mean to. I was resigned to accept whatever befell me but I told Bonnie I was not prepared to die on a ventilator and to reject that option for me if it came down to that. She agreed.
Well that was then and today, July 4, 2021, I am still here but now because I am fully vaccinated with the two shots from Pfizer, I feel more hopeful that I will not be culled by the virus.
Of course, by now you are scratching your head and ready to ask me: OK, sure! but what does all this have to do with China?
Good question.
If I happened to reside in China during this same period March 2020 –June 2021 and daily checked my iPhone to see how well or how poorly the government was saving lives during the Pandemic, here is what I would find:
Population of China ~ 1 billion 445 million people.
Total number of Covid cases ~ 92,000
Total number of Covid recovery cases ~ 87,000
Total number of Covid deaths ~ 4,700
Total number of Active Covid cases today ~ 5,000
By any standard of measure you wish to use, these numbers are: stunning (!) outrageous (!) incredible (!)
In fact, I ask you not to believe these numbers; I ask you to please look up the correct numbers and send them to me so I can modify this Easy Essay. I do not wish to mislead or sugar coat the statistics.
Now then, let us finish this Covid Comparison by giving you the numbers for the USA:
Population of USA ~ 331 million people
Total number of Covid cases ~ 35 million
Total number of Covid recovery cases ~ 29 million, 100 thousand
Total number of Covid deaths ~ 605,000
Total number of Active Covid cases today ~ 4 million, 900 thousand
By any standard of measure you wish to use, these numbers are: stunning (!) outrageous (!) incredible (!)
In fact, I ask you not to believe these numbers; I ask you to please look up the correct numbers and send them to me so I can modify this Easy Essay. I do not wish to mislead anyone.
I express my heartfelt condolences to anyone reading this Easy Essay who has lost loved ones during this Pandemic year. May they rest in peace.
But I can’t leave this Easy Essay without expressing my outrage that the vast majority of these deaths could have been avoided had we been told the truth about the virus and had we been mobilized as a nation to take the scientific/medical steps necessary to save lives ~ testing, contact tracing, masking, social distancing, access to personal protection equipment and vaccinating everyone eligible.