I give you a cheers because of that last statement.
Fully agree regarding the topic that discussion without making any of this personal is necessary.
Your Opening has some subjective discussion though. I know it was a random number but you threw out 200k “likely could have been saved”. How did yo come up with this number? Was this really just random or based off something else?
Second, of those 600K a couple what if comparisons can be thrown out just the same.
1) pretend covid didn’t exist, based on our average deaths every year, does anyone know what the actual difference has been? It’s not that I don’t care, but I can’t pretend that many of these lives were going to be lossy regardless, it’s only how they’re reported.
2) Covid itself is not an isolated issue. Many of the decisions regarding covid as a whole being made have other ramifications not directly linked to covid. Suicide as an example was already on the rise. Continued, indefinite, social isolation only exacerbated that problem. Financial issues for individuals are reaching all time highs. Children learning social skills are at extreme lows. People fearing for the job has additional affects at home or at work.
At some point, my particular argument from the rip, is that these covid decisions, despite potential lives saved, did not outweigh the problems increased by not just continuing as normal with a new disease out there.
Continuing as normal didn’t have to change anything in regards to vaccine creation and distribution.
For hospitalization issues being reported, there have on multiple occasions been additional national Guard/military assistance provided, but local governments keep telling them to pack up. If it’s necessary still, then its necessary.