The Only Sensible COVID-19 Solution – We Gotta Get Sick!!

Aren’t we all wishing for a clear, sane voice in this COVID-19 wilderness?

I hope you’ve given up on trying to find it on either Fox News or MSNBC or CNN (or the Comedy Channel which I consider an upgrade from the aforementioned). I’m thinking answers are somewhere other than Trump news conferences and the ridiculous media stone-throwing that follows.

In my April 6, 2020 blog post (click here to read), I posited that there seems to be nary a mention of our best defense against this pesky little monster –  our own immune system which, by the way, we are masterful at ignoring and abusing.

On April 20, I shared with you that our New York City COVID experience has revealed that obesity is nearly as high a predictor of COVID-19 morbidity as age.

Last time I checked, obesity is an acquired condition, a product of choices, not time. And a violator of the immune system.

Simple solution then, huh? Let’s isolate and protect the old and – pardon my bluntness – the rotund among us. Maybe we reach so far as to isolate those with asthma. We should have enough disease management data in our healthcare system to be able to identify that population.

I won’t belabor the point but must restate that 65% of the American population is overweight, 25% is obese. Just as with old people, they are pretty easy to pick out of a crowd. Asthmatics, not so much.

Given that backdrop, the “sane voice” I’ve heard recently is that of Dr. David Katz, whom I have referred to and quoted repeatedly in previous articles.

This is likely to be old news to many of you, but I want to throw it out for those who haven’t heard the idea and to reinforce the sensibility of it for those who have.

Dr. Katz says we’ve got to get big-time sick if we are going to defeat this virus.

Dr. Katz has considerable cred and his profile is rising, as it should, as an outspoken and very articulate advocate of “lifestyle as the best medicine.”

Here is a link to an article that contains links to two interviews Dr. Katz had with gentlemen at polar opposites of the political spectrum: Mark Levin, Fox News, and Bill Maher, he of profane, comedic, informed liberalism espoused on his own HBO show. (NOTE: Be sure to click “Read more” on the page to get to both interviews if they don’t load on first click. They will take a few seconds to load).

Dr. David Katz explains how the US can reopen safely and why the lockdown is dangerous

Although chided by Maher for appearing on Fox News, Dr. Katz maintains a very diplomatic, apolitical position and stands firm on his message that we will only defeat the virus by resorting to “herd immunity.”  In other words, let’s let the non-vulnerable – which is the vast majority – get sick and build massive immunity while protecting the aforementioned vulnerable until the virus fades away.

It’s being done in other countries. Why not here?

Well, we would have to move Trump and crew and nearly 50 governors out of the way – and, get (oh, horrors) non-political.

I’m all in. So is my wife. We’re in the vulnerable group (the “old” segment, not the “rotund” segment, thank you very much).

I’m preaching to the choir

Hey, I get it. You are probably all in now that we are 6-8 weeks into the intentional collapsing of the world economy. It’s hard, isn’t it, to not at least give an ear to one or more of the proliferating conspiracy theories swirling around this. Like the one about this being the last leg of the plan for a world-wide totalitarian government.

I’ll pass on those time wasters. But, I don’t think Dr. Katz and “herd immunity” fall in line with any conspiracy theory. I do think it makes sense NOW so we can get people back to work.

I say, go ahead and keep the fence up around my wife and me.  (NOTE: my daughter did that several weeks ago and marches it like a soldier on guard duty, God love her and we do).

Now the issue of your “fat” brother-in-law?  That’s a tougher deal. But maybe with an awareness of his vulnerability, he will concede and (don’t hold your breath) maybe even change his lifestyle.

Let’s get rollin’.

We’re cutting too deep – I think we all sense that. It’s time to get back. Build a fence around me and my age counterparts, hog-tie us through the herd immunity if you must, but let’s get the rest of the world back onto some semblance of our former life, imperfect as it is.

The fence for me is tolerable. I don’t need to be shoulder-to-shoulder in a noisy watering hole. I (‘er, my wife) can live with senior hours at King Soopers. I can still do the sensible and not go stir-crazy.

I played 18-holes of golf this week – first time in weeks.  I admit it was outside the fence a bit, but sensible. I’m almost a week past the experience and the only thing that hurts is the front-nine number on the scorecard. I felt perfectly safe with the safety measures the course put in place to shield patrons.

  • Load your own clubs.
  • One-person carts only, carts thoroughly swabbed down.
  • Ball removal without touching flagstick (my suggestion for a permanent change.)
  • No water dispensary on the course.
  • No ball cleaners
  • No sit-down bar or restaurant service

How tough was all that, really? Not so much. The golf game felt the same. And the course is staying alive.

The way I play golf, it was easy to always be 6′ or more from my playing partner.

We are all experiencing a wake-up call – mostly healthy. There’s some major “flushing” going on. Won’t it be interesting to see how much of it stays permanently flushed? As in two-hour commutes and new parking lots. As in promising careers in commercial real estate. As in small independent colleges and universities. As in the imbalance between work and family life.

Personally, I shudder to think that this may become our standard response to every virus that emerges – and we all know another one will emerge.

Can we, at some point, acknowledge that this has been going on forever and that we’ve managed to survive each mutation because we have a thing called an immune system?  Maybe the biggest flushing from all this – we can only hope – will be the culturally-induced naivete we have about our bodies, how they work, and the nature of that very system that ultimately defeats the viruses.

It’s crazy to envision that swirling drain carrying large swaths of our food industry (especially Carl’s Junior, Dominoes Pizza, and their ilk), TV remotes, motorized scooters, Roombas down with it. But maybe we will start inching in that direction and begin to acknowledge the abuse we render on our birthright of good health that has been defeating these pesky microbes forever.

Let’s give our cells the best chance to do their thing. They’ve been doing it forever. And they don’t ask for much – good glucose, oxygen, less cortisol.

And some plain ‘ol common sense. It seems that may be in shorter supply than masks and ventilators.

As always, your comments are encouraged – even if barbed. Scroll down and let me know your thoughts about all this.

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22 replies
  1. Walter Wilson says:

    Gary, your writing is unusually interesting and insightful.

    Not today. Today your score is dull and irresponsible.

    Let’s all get sick and immune. Seriously?

    First, since COVID-19 is not a rhinovirus-induced sniffle, it’s not just “your fat brother-in-law” or useless old person that is at risk. Do a little research–COVID-19 is sickening children with respiratory issues, young adults are developing blood clots and related strokes, and people who have recovered often have long-term cardio-vascular issues. All of which are not fully understood because we have mere weeks of experience with this virus. What happens a year after recovery–we’ll know in, um, a year….

    Which brings me to point number two: we do not have at present a clear picture of whether or for how long recovered COVID-91 patients have immunity. We. Do. Not. Know. (!)

    And as for your “our birthright of good health that has been defeating these pesky microbes forever.” assertion, how well did that “birthright” work with measles, or polio, or tuberculosis? Answer: not well at all. Until a vaccine for each was in place and widely used.

    What we need are prudent measures to control R0 (“R-naught” if you care to look that up) for this virus until a widely available vaccine is available and in wide use. That does not mean cessation of economic activity, just some common sense.

    Reply
  2. Walter Wilson says:

    Gary,

    One more thing. To clarify my “useless old person” comment: I am 65 1/2. My BMI is about 2.3. I just finished my second set of 100 push-ups (it’s 9:05 AM) before getting back to work.

    Meanwhile from NBC News 4 New York: “Amid new concerns about the possible impact of COVID-19 on children, Mount Sinai Hospital is confirming reports by NBC New York that they are seeing new and unusual COVID-19 related illness in several pediatric patients. The hospital’s chief of pediatric critical care is now issuing a warning to parents to be on the lookout for certain symptoms.

    In a statement, Dr. George Ofori, Pediatric Critical Care Director at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital said, “Some of the cases that we are currently treating entered our care presenting with symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and a low-grade fever. Others presented first with a rash, conjunctivitis, and/or cracked lips.”

    Dr. Ofori said some patients have developed heart problems and low blood pressure that led to shock. He explained that some had been diagnosed with COVID-19 2-3 weeks before these symptoms developed.”

    And we still do not fully understand the long term implications. Does this sound OK to you?

    Reply
    • Gary says:

      Walter, thanks for the comment and the different perspective. And thanks for the phone conversation. I appreciate your insight and I’m glad to get to know you and understand more of where you are coming from. You are spot on – We. Do. Not. Know. At least we agree we’ve got a long pull ahead of us.

      Reply

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