I do not write about politics because I don’t want to be caught up in that feeding frenzy of fools. However, this entry will be seen as political by some. They are wrong. It is about public health and numbers. That these have become politicized by some to advance their careers and/or because of stupidity is not my fault. I have considered whether I should write this and decided that silence would be complicity with those who have made science political. I do not want to start a debate and will not participate in one.
I was sent a link to an opinion piece by an American woman who might be quite famous but of whom I had never heard. I rarely read opinion pieces. I seek facts and numbers on which I can form my own opinion. She was complaining about the restrictions put on Australians by their government as measures to combat the COVID epidemic. From her comments I expect she has never been in Australia. A side comment of hers that the Afghan War was started by the US to spread democracy is manifestly untrue.
So I googled and did the math. As of this afternoon Australia had 1,448 COVID deaths out of a population of 25,671,900. The US has a population of about 330,000,000 or about 12. 6 times that of Australia. So multiply 1,448 by 12.6 and you get 18,244.8 which would be the number of COVID deaths in the US if we had the same death rate as Australia. The present number of COVID deaths in the US is 727,000.
The freedom that Australians are being denied by their government is the freedom to die of COVID which some fools in the United States consider their inalienable right.
5 comments:
Thanks Webb, great post. As an Australian, I know where I would rather be at this point of human history. Thankyou for keeping on posting on your blog. I find it always interesting, often inspiring.
If only it were just the freedom to die of COVID, but that is wrapped up in the freedom to harbor the virus to kill others, incubate it to survive the vaccines, and keep everyone else from getting back to normal life.
In Portugal everyone who is eligible has been vaccinated. Almost literally, as the population over 65 is 100% and the population over 50 is 99%. Tourists have to be vaccinated or test negative. Life is back to normal.
Hey Webb. What do you have in the way of ground tackle? And if you don't mind can you go through your MO when it comes to anchoring single handed.... Under sail? Head up and drop from bow? Or drop from cockpit, set and walk the rode to the bow? And how do you weigh anchor?
Good questions, Matt. I will answer them in a future journal post. Probably the next one.
Excellent post. People think they should have the right to chose whether to get a jab or not. But when their decision has positive “externalities” to society, when their decision affects other’s lifes they shouldn’t have that right — that freedom.
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