That the number of deaths as a percentage of COVID-19 infected individuals has gone down is often cited as evidence that the overall threat is overblown or, particularly by President Trump, that the worst is over.
That is only part of the picture. Left out is what I would call the “misery level,” which includes both the suffering experienced by many of those who survive, whether or not hospitalized, and the long-term health problems that afflict many who carry on.
Details as to the suffering of those in both categories were provided in Robert Gehrke’s Oct. 26 column titled “Tired of coronavirus? Talk to these Utahns.”
And then, of course, there is the “disruption level” in reference to the quarantines, closures and cancellations that are triggered when individual infections are diagnosed. The realities of these two additional categories, especially in light of the current surge in infections, are disheartening, but they should provide shoulder shakes to everyone about adopting the simple guidelines espoused by our public officials to contain the virus.
Clayton Parr, Draper