Reflections on 1 Million COVID Deaths in The United States

In prerecorded remarks before the COVID-19 Global Summit, President Biden noted the United States had reached 1 million deaths because of the pandemic:

Today, we mark a tragic milestone here in the United States: one million COVID deaths, one million empty chairs around the family dinner table — each irreplaceable.  Irreplaceable losses, each leaving behind a family, a community forever changed because of this pandemic.

My heart goes out to all of those who are struggling, asking themselves, “How do I go on without him?”  “How do I go on without her?”  “What will we do without them?” 

To commemorate the lives of the 1 million Americans who have died of COVID, President Biden ordered the White House flags and all flags on federal property to be lowered to half staff until next Monday night. 

According to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the death toll from COVID-19 in this country as of this writing is 999,111 out of 82,325,687 cases representing a mortality rate of 1.2%. This number will likely climb above 1 million tomorrow although truth be told we very likely surpassed this tally weeks ago. 

It cannot be emphasized enough that no other event in American history has cost so many lives in such a short period of time. No war, no natural disaster and no other disease has caused so much loss of life. 

While many Americans share President Biden's lament for what our nation has lost, many other Americans have a very different view ranging from indifference to outright denial including by defeated former President Trump who questioned the death toll when it surpassed 350,000 during the final weeks of his presidency calling it "exaggerated". 

These sentiments might not represent the view of a majority of Americans, but they represent more than a critical mass and are expressed by those who yield power and exert great influence. Indeed, voting behavior is now the single most reliable indicator of one in this country saw fit to be vaccinated. If you vote Democrat you're probably vaccinated. If you vote Republican you're probably not. If Republican voters had their way we would still be fighting measles, polio and smallpox.

Many Republicans such as Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick are now reveling in the likelihood that Roe v. Wade will be overturned all in the name of the sanctity of life. Upon learning of the leaked draft opinion, Patrick proclaimed the decision would be "a great day for life...a great day for innocent babies in the womb." This would be the same Dan Patrick who said in the early days of the pandemic declared "there are more important things than living".

Pro-life my ass!!!

Let me say it again!!! COVID-19 has killed more Americans than any other disease, natural disaster or war and in such a short period of time. The United States not only has more COVID deaths than anywhere else in the world but that second place Brazil (which had an utterly horrendous response to COVID) has one-third fewer deaths. If so-called pro-lifers were truly believed in the sanctity of life then they would move Heaven and Earth to save as many lives as possible. 

Alas a great many Americans look at our mortality rate of 1.2% and see a 98-99% survival rate regardless of vaccination. If a significant number of Americans cannot bring themselves to get vaccinated to save their own lives then how can we expect them to care about 1 million Americans who have lost theirs? R.I.P.