Addressing the Pandemic

I had a talk with a friend last night that went like this:

Friend: Do you think the pandemic has been handled perfectly?

Me: I would say it’s been handled as well as possible, given that we’ve never encountered anything like this, we’re constantly learning, and the disease itself is mutating.  We’re trying to hit a moving target.

Friend: What about the bubonic plague?

Me: OK, let’s say nothing in the last 700 years, when the disease ran its course because we were 600 years away from anything resembling modern medicine.

Friend: So you think Dr. Fauchi has nothing but our best interests at heart?

Me: Of course.  To say otherwise is to accuse him of mass murder, without any evidence.  I would find that outrageous. I know there are those who think there is a massive conspiracy between the medical establishment, big pharma, and government, which is not credible to me, especially because you have to believe that every one of the 200+ sovereign nations on Earth is in on this.  It’s an asinine position to take.

Friend: But what about all the damage that’s being done to our society and the economy?

Me: Yes, it’s been terrible, and there’s no end in sight, but I still see no reason to distrust the entirety of the medical establishment.

Friend: But I’m talking about one man.

Me: Actually, no.  Fauci is the most visible one, but he’s one of hundreds of epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists working on the pandemic, here and all around the globe.  There is no serious disagreement about the way the disease is being addressed.

Friend: Well, there is disagreement.

Me: That’s why I said “serious.” I’m aware that there are crackpots that the anti-vaxxers point to.  People constantly send me links to YouTube videos featuring inane theories about who caused the disease and how it can be treated.  Also, regarding shutting things down, keep in mind that state and local authorities have the right to do whatever they will about mask mandates, social distancing, etc.  Most of them follow the directions they’re receiving from the medical establishment.  Obviously, others don’t, e.g., Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis.  That’s why their states are choking to death, and it’s also why we now have little kids infected.