Americans Struggle with COVID-19 Precautions

Apparently, there are groups of Americans that have real trouble with adhering to the exhortations of our scientific community, specially to our epidemiologists and other public health experts when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a conversation I just ran across:

Person A: (writing in all caps to underscore the vehemence of his position): ALL CALIFORNIANS SHOULD GO TO THE BEACH FOR THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND! HERD IMMUNITY IS HAPPENING. WEAR A MASK IF YOU WISH. (THOSE WITH) UNDERLYING CONDITIONS (SHOULD) STAY HOME. THE HOAX IS OVER!! MAKE THIS VIRAL!!

Person B: Santa Cruz Forced to Reopen Beaches Because “The People Aren’t Willing to Be Governed Anymore”

Person C: I’ve been telling people the same thing. On July 4th, it’s the most appropriate time to celebrate our Freedom and Independence.

Me:

To Person A: Herd immunity to this particular disease requires that 70% of the population be infected, or approximately 220 million, which is 82 times what it is now. The resultant hospitalizations would grind our healthcare infrastructure to a halt, causing the fatality rate to skyrocket.

To Person B: The source you cite, “Return To Now,” is known for one single thing: pseudoscience. You can be a better, smarter person than this.

To All: See graph above. If you want to go to the beach and you can get past the police, I suppose no one else will stop you. I advise you do not plan to go to Europe anytime soon, as that will be quite impossible, all due to Americans’ amazing levels of ignorance and selfish arrogance.

I didn’t write the piece below, but I think it fits here: