COVID-19: Perception vs. Reality

FULL BORE LINEAR PANIC

Seems to me that America (and the world) are in what the late humorist author, Patrick McManus, called a full bore linear panic. This came into sharp focus last evening as I attended the monthly elders’ meeting at our church and found myself utterly powerless to stop the temporary shutdown of the church over coronavirus fears. Nevermind that only five people in our county have tested positive for COVID-19 and no one in Arizona has died from it. I realized there was nothing I could say on the facts that could counter the emotion being expressed — the train had already left the station! We so easily “take the fake.” Perception will always trump reality. I find myself again, like the little boy in the story, proclaiming:

The Emperor has no clothes!

CORONAVIRUS PERCEPTION

Here’s how I would summarize the current coronavirus perception:

COVID-19 will be an apocalyptic event
Nearly everyone will get this infection
Millions will die
We have to avoid almost all contact outside our homes
We have to practice extreme sanitation measures to prevent getting this
Life as we have known it is over
And, of course, the most important thing to do is hoard toilet paper and paper towels!

At least that’s what I’m hearing every time I turn on the news or see empty store shelves. I somehow can’t get out of my mind the lyrics from the Vietnam War protest song when I was in college by Country Joe & The Fish which said:

Well there ain’t no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we’re all gonna die

CORONAVIRUS REALITY

COVID-19 is a serious problem to be sure. But is it anything dramatically worse than infections that happen every year? So far, I would say it is not — at least I would say that until we have some real facts instead of just speculation. The reality is perhaps best expressed with a comparison to the 2009-2010 H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic. Don’t remember that? Neither do I, other than vaguely (COVID-19 stats as of 3/18/20):

Infected in U.S. Population of 329 Million
H1N1 Flu             43-89 million (with 195,000 – 403,000 hospitalized)
COVID-19           7,324
Deaths in U.S.
H1N1 Flu             8870 – 18,300
COVID-19            115
Deaths Worldwide
H1N1 Flu             290,000 – 650,000
COVID-19            8,727
Infections in Arizona
H1N1 Flu             8,700
COVID-19            21
Media Conclusion
H1N1 Flu   — No Problem
COVID-19  — Worldwide Panic

I might add one more statistic: Every day in America 7700 people die from all causes. I don’t know about you, but the above numbers don’t compute in my head. There’s no way this is a proportional response. The speculation is that if we don’t go into the “full bore linear panic” right now that millions will become infected and tens of thousands will die. But that is totally speculative, and it still begs the question as to why the media wasn’t driving everyone crazy with the 2009 pandemic. As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, it’s all about politics and who’s in the White House, or as Obama Chief-of-Staff and former Chicago mayor said; “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

The speculation is that COVID-19 is much deadlier than the flu, but where’s the evidence for that? Every year an average of over 40,000 Americans die of the seasonal flu. So why are we going nuts over 115 that have died thus far from COVID-19. Will that number dramatically increase? Probably, but will it go over 40,000? Given most of the people who test positive for COVID-19 have minimal or no symptoms, I doubt it.

COVID-19 REALLY KILLS NO ONE

If I haven’t lost you yet, I may with the above statement, but let me explain. Our bodies and our world are full of “germs” — bacteria, viruses and fungi. They are an essential part of God’s creation, and, among other things, serve as “garbage collectors” to keep us from dying in our own filth. So when an infectious disease takes hold or even kills, it really isn’t the “germ” that is the primary cause, but the lack of sufficient immune response by your body. Or, as I said at over 260 SICK & TIRED SEMINARS, “Flies don’t cause garbage” and “Mosquitoes don’t make swamps.” Thus, the solution to the primary​​​​​​​ cause is to build up your immunity (dispose of the garbage; drain the swamp), which our testing and programs have been doing with people for over 35 years.

OVERPREPARATION:  AT WHAT PRICE?

One of the things I heard at my church meeting last night was:

It’s better to overprepare and not need to have than to underprepare

With all due respect that is a ridiculous statement, and here’s why:  Automobile accidents kill 50,000 people a year. Would we then “overprepare” by banning cars? The question is, “When does overpreparation come at too high a price? Is the current overpreparation worth tens of millions of people being out of work, businesses worth trillions of dollars being destroyed, thousands of schools and tens of thousands of churches being shut down? I seriously doubt it — particularly when it appears that 80% plus of those who are infected will have minor or no symptoms. Only by rampant speculation of imagining the very worst possible outcomes can the current hysterical actions be justified, if even then.

WHAT IS THE  DANGER — REALLY?

Is COVID-19 really much deadlier than the regular flu? So far, at least the actual numbers, as compared to the 2009-10 flu pandemic, don’t bear that out. That could change, but it’s way too early to tell. It does appear that COVID-19 is much more transmissible than the regular flu virus, which means more people will get infected. But so what? If the great majority are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic and the mortality rate is no more or even less than seasonal flu, why be that concerned with exposure, given the exposure will likely produce at least some future immunity?

AVOIDING or FIGHTING GERMS — A VAIN ENDEAVOR

Look, I believe in washing my hands, covering my coughs and sneezes and all the other sanitation measures suggested. We should do that anyway. It’s also very biblical, given the original and oldest guide to dealing with infectious disease is found in the Law of Moses. But to think that is the way to fight this is ludicrous. You must build up your immune system! And that doesn’t just mean taking some immune-enhancing supplements, but also discovering and dealing with the toxicities in your body that are compromising your immunity in the first place.

THE TIME FOR “TELEHEALTH”

If ever there was a time for our “telehealth” approach, this is it. You can dramatically increase your immunity removing food and environmental sensitivities, correcting nutrient deficiencies, getting rid of toxins and taking appropriate immune-stimulating remedies. If you’re not already on the Pacific Health Balancing Program toward that end, I really, really encourage you to take advantage of that NOW (Details on our March Special below). Be a victor, not a victim of this current health crisis!​​​​​​​

— Monte Kline, Ph.D.

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Virus Protection Special