I was disgusted by Kim McGahey’s recent diatribe on Tuesday’s opinion page. First of all, his “0.2% fatalities” statistic is simply wrong. The 260,000-plus American deaths from almost 13 million known COVID-19 cases in the U.S. represent a full 2% fatality rate. And who cares about the ludicrous 95% “statistic” offered regarding asymptomatic people with the virus? They’re still contagious and transferring it to others! The shining example that he presents with an “open” South Dakota is laughable, as it is one of the top four U.S. states as measured by per-capita infection rates.

Our leaders do not want to control us, have us be dependent on them or make us “shut up and get in line.” Believe it or not, they’re trying to protect us, especially in light of numerous health care crises around the country with the imminent lacks of hospital beds and care providers that McGahey conveniently does not even reference. Are those being fabricated by the “complicit, liberal media?” I don’t think so!

We “little people” evidently are not – collectively, at least – smart enough to take care of our own lives. Otherwise, we’d have been able to continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 instead of it roaring back with waves two and now three of infections. Should it really be managed through herd immunity or otherwise be enabled to run its course? Sure, let’s just chalk up 7 million potential U.S. deaths (2% of the population) to “coexistence” and then simply carry on.