It is unbelievable that so many people are refusing to wear face masks despite the inexorable increase in coronavirus cases and deaths. I have one simple question for these folks: Would you rather wear a mask and be a little bit uncomfortable, or would you like to have a ventilator tube shoved down your throat?
And keep in mind, the experts say that upwards of 90 percent of people who are put on ventilators never get off. Not until they die.
If you're one of those people who think you're invincible, think again. Nobody is. And by not wearing a face mask, you're jeopardizing the safety of everyone around you.
You don't care? You don't believe that? You have a right to decide for yourself? They're hot and uncomfortable? They make your glasses fog up? You're a Republican and Trump doesn't wear one, so why should you? That's asinine.
Just about as asinine as Vice President Mike Pence, who today, in the first coronavirus briefing in two months, presented a rosy picture of the pandemic -- maskless -- and refused to use the word "mask" when asked why the administration didn't practice what it preaches.
Public health experts have warned against large public gatherings such as the ones hosted recently by Trump, which many attended without wearing masks. But Pence insisted that Americans have the right to exercise their free speech and that the Trump campaign planned additional such events. Asked if people should wear masks -- which his boss poopoos, Pence ducked and said they should keep in mind official guidelines and local case rates.
"While you see in the news over the past week or so we have rising cases and outbreaks in several Southern states, I want to assure you that our task force and our entire administration is working continuously with leaders in those states to respond," Pence said.
But it didn't take long for U.S. health experts to call out Pence's pretty coronavirus picture. “We’re seeing a massive resurgence in our metropolitan areas across the southwestern part of the United States — here in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and in Los Angeles,” Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN after the briefing.
“This is a tragedy, and what's more, it's not presented as a tragedy — it's presented as, ‘We're doing a pretty good job and now there are a couple of hotspots.’ These are not ‘hotspots’ — these are the largest metropolitan areas in the United States,” he said.
Said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, “One of the first things that was said is all 50 states are opening safely and responsibly. That's simply not true. I don't think there's a single state that actually followed the opening criteria that the task force themselves actually laid out. They say that we have greatly expanded testing. We're still probably at a 10 percent of the testing that we should be doing at this point in this pandemic. They say we've had 45 days to stop the spread. Well, (CNN Correspondent) Brianna (Keilar) as you just mentioned, we haven't stopped the spread.”
Ok, it's obvious that "we haven't stopped the spread" of the coronavirus. The hot spots have changed, switching to many states that opened early without proper precautions, but cases continue to mount, and so do deaths.
So, here's a decision you can make:
What kind of ventilator would you like? Maybe you can get one of those snazzy Ford Motor Company models, the Mustang or maybe the big ole fancy Lincoln version? Or maybe you're a General Motors person, with a preference for Chevys, Buicks or Cadillacs. That's it, you'll want the Caddy version. It has all the upgrades and an extra quiet "ride" -- to your grave.
Maybe you don't like the idea of a ventilator made by a car company. Well, you could get lucky and get one of those made by the vacuum sweeper company, Dyson. It's supposed to be inexpensive, compact, and efficient. In fact, James Dyson designed it in just 10 days, so it's a quickie model.
Why, with that one, you could even get your insides vacuumed while being ventilated. A real two-for!
Come on, people. Stop the nonsense. Practice social distancing and for crying out loud, wear a mask when you're around other people. Otherwise, you just might end up getting fitted for a breathing tube -- or worse.