Knowledge of Nature Would Have Better Informed COVID-19 Pandemic Response

A White Hall, Virginia, Ruritan sign informs folks that the wearing of a mask saves lives. Unfortunately, people resist taking this common-sense advice. If they had a better comprehension of nature, this stubbornness would not occur.

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

“Today, fear has found its way to the front of the queue as a driver of mental distress and trauma”, Dr Claire Weekes, Australian physician (1903-1990).

 

The scientific and political reactions to the discovery of a novel virus—COVID-19—among us confirmed a deeply disturbing reality: Many scientists in the biological sciences nowadays seem rather unfamiliar with the workings of the natural world, which leads to illogical reasoning and bad advice that politicians blindly follow instead of first critically assessing.

 

Our government officials initially shut down our country—an action taken out of fear—that caused much distress and trauma to its citizenry. They closed “nonessential” businesses and demanded that those staying open sanitize all surfaces before allowing customers inside.

 

Neither health scientists nor the government officials who listened to them (two public-sector groups who enjoy job security) took into account that no business is “nonessential” to those making a living from it, nor that sanitation of surfaces to prevent illness is a complete waste of time and effort other than in limited and confined areas, such as inside hospitals and nursing homes.

 

It's irrational to think you can disinfect the world; we’re surrounded by uncountable numbers of microorganisms 24/7 and billions of people capable of redistributing them. Nevertheless, out of an “abundance of caution” (the fear of a highly unlikely catastrophic outcome that those in the medical profession didn’t want to risk getting blamed for), the practice of wiping down store shelves and the goods on them after the pandemic began was demanded despite the impossibility of achieving long-term disinfection. Employee time and effort were squandered on a senseless mandate.

 

Virologists (those who study viruses) should have known that a virus, though genetically simple, is comparable to living organisms. (After all, viruses have been seriously studied for over a century.) And, similarly to all lifeforms, a virus requires an environment that meets its specific needs in order to thrive.  Outside of that setting, its existence is necessarily limited, a fact that comprises a basic biological concept.

 

For COVID, its indispensable environment is the human body, and the only rational approach to maintaining public health would have been for government to inform folks that each independently functioning individual (i.e., not dependent upon caregivers) would need to take responsibility for his own wellbeing. To effect change in human behavior, especially in unfamiliar circumstances, such as this pandemic, knowledge and understanding are imperative.

 

Therefore, public-service announcements (PSAs) could have explained that handwashing removes germs and thus is an important step to take before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after being in a public space where the COVID virus could be circulating. PSAs could have spelled out that the wearing of a mask serves as a physical barrier to these viruses within the air, and social distancing helps to prevent these airborne germs from reaching you from an infected person.

 

But, because analytical thought didn’t prevail among those in charge, many businesses ended up closing permanently as a result of foolish mandates and many people lost their jobs as a result. To assist citizens harmed by its poor advice, government ended up printing money to send to them. When ill-conceived actions are taken without first skillfully evaluating them, astronomical costs can be incurred.

 

The only thing the government got right was to get vaccines out to the public as safely and quickly as possible because getting vaccinated is the ultimate defense against becoming severely ill. Yet, large numbers of people are refusing to participate in these measures that, in addition to protecting their own health, have a high probability of successfully bringing the pandemic to a halt—which points up another sober shortcoming in society today.

 

Folks have become so out of touch with nature that they no longer grasp straightforward biological realities. If they did, they would comprehend that if everyone were vaccinated, the COVID virus would have difficulty finding an hospitable environment (a human body) in which to replicate itself, and without reproduction, this threat cannot be perpetuated.

 

I’ve spent my life immersed in the natural world. Understanding how it works guides me well in my everyday life and informs me of nonsensical news stories and misguided decisions made by government. If everyone possessed a wide-ranging comprehension of nature—which they absolutely should because our lives unfold within its realm—we would suffer from far fewer clueless decisions.

 

To deal with any natural phenomenon (such as viruses), it’s crucial to understand nature and how it works. Unfortunately, nowadays, too few people do.

NATURE ADVICE:

 

Show me a person who fears the natural world and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t know much about it. The antidote to fear is knowledge, so if you’re afraid of any aspect of nature, do your best to learn as much as you can about what frightens you. You’ll be amazed by the effectiveness of this strategy.

COVID Craziness

If you’ve wondered how trash ends up in our local waterways and then the oceans, you’ll find the answer in this photo of a discarded mask near a river. 

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

On my daily walk recently, I came upon yet another disposable mask on the ground. It was disturbing for many reasons, one of which was that it was quite close to my local river. This refuse could easily be wind-blown into the waterway, beginning a journey to the Chesapeake Bay and eventually the Atlantic Ocean.

Movies or television series (especially, it seems, those from Europe) often show people discarding all kinds of things directly into large bodies of water or the tributaries leading to them, as if such areas represent just another wastebasket. Apparently, quite a few people are oblivious to the fact that many forms of wildlife reside within these liquid habitats and human refuse poses serious harm to those organisms.

The number of disposable masks I’ve seen in parking lots and along roads is sure to rise because “disposable” equates to “one use” in our wealthy society—even when an item could easily be reused. My husband and I bought two disposable masks when the pandemic began over six months ago, and we are still using them. When we get home from shopping, I flatten the masks and leave them out so any COVID virus organisms on them will become dehydrated and less virulent or completely harmless.

Additionally, we wash our hands at least once while out-and-about and immediately upon arriving home, and we practice the six-feet-apart rule as much as is practical in public. But, what I consider most important of all, is that we do not touch our hands to our eyes, noses, or mouths unless we’ve cleaned them first. If this one bit of reasonable and effective advice was impressed upon the public, we would not have had to shut down businesses, many of which will never reopen. Instead, we’ve had pandemonium, a chaotic situation in which government and medical officials alike have responded with fear and overreaction.

Yes, this illness is quite infectious and needs to be taken seriously. However, it never meant we needed to put people out of business, depriving owners and employees alike of their livelihood. Individuals can take their own proactive steps to protect themselves from COVID-19 while still visiting restaurants, museums, grocery stores, etc.

The one reaction by government and medical officials that has been proven to be overkill—as evidenced by the relaxation of government insistence for it—is the sanitation of virtually everything in sight. Just because we’re able to spread these chemicals everywhere does not mean we should. Common sense should tell us that inhaling chemicals not meant to be ingested can never be good for one’s wellbeing, and yet people have been subjected to that experience.

I got to the post office a bit early one day before the service section opened. As I waited in the lobby, a man came around to sanitize every wall and object in the room. He wasn’t near me, but—much to my dismay—his spray filled the lobby and I ended up breathing those chemicals.

Another time, my husband and I stayed at a hotel that offered breakfast with the night’s lodging. We got into the dining room first thing to eat, and only one other person was having his breakfast. Yet, the moment he left, an employee came around and wiped every single table in the room, rather than just the used table, with sanitizer. We weren’t only unhappy about having to breathe sanitizer and wonder what ill effect it could have on our health; we also could not enjoy the rest of our breakfast due to the fragrance. This experience did nothing to encourage us to travel again, which would be a help to the industry, from hotels/motels and restaurants to gas stations and other kinds of businesses.

I complained to the hotel chain, which blamed it on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines they were required to follow. It’s sad but true that those in charge with the power to impose rules rarely think through their edicts to be sure they are logical and don’t go beyond what is absolutely required and suitable. Of course, those in government have guaranteed income and employment, so they are immune from the consequences of the rules they impose upon the rest of us. Thus, they probably don't concern themselves with the repercussions. Craziness can be defined as “something that is totally unsound”, which I would suggest has been the case with the extreme sanitation requirement in the general public realm (rather than just in medical settings).

 NATURE ADVICE:

The COVID pandemic has been disastrous for our environment. Think of the tons of additional waste, thanks to restaurants that had to offer take-out service only (with its plastic utensils and Styrofoam containers that are hard to recycle) in order to survive. Think of all the people throwing away disposable masks after a single-use. Think of all the sanitizer chemicals that make their way to wastewater treatment plants and then to waterways, yet have not been proven to protect you any better than using plain soap and water and keeping dirty hands away from your face. It’s a fact that outside of a hospital, most people catch respiratory illnesses directly from infected people, not contaminated surfaces.

https://www.rush.edu/news/does-hand-sanitizer-work

Speak out against lockdowns that harm people financially by keeping businesses shuttered and sanitary measures that bring unnecessary harm to our natural world.