Aegrescit Medendo - The Covid-19 Cure is Worse Than the Disease

Several state governors, including our own Chicken Little, have paralyzed their state's economies. It's for our own good, they say. Some communities are being ordered to shelter-in-place. That's for our own good, too. Media outlets bray away at the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases, totally oblivious to the reality that this sudden increase is almost certainly because more testing is available now than there was even a week ago. The nation sits paralyzed in their living rooms, guarding stashes of toilet paper and bottled water, waiting for the end. But we are over-reacting and have created a dangerous precedent for anyone who actually cares about individual liberty or our economy. Let me explain why.

Covid-19 is a brand new virus. It only reared its ugly head in December. So little is known about it. The mortality rate - 10 times that of the common flu - is based on known cases. But what about those who had it and never knew it? For all that you or I know, we could have had this disease. It is illogical and, dare I say, unscientific, to draw conclusions based on insufficient information.

Iceland has been doing extensive testing, proportionately more than any other country. As of March 21, the results of 5,571 tests yielded just 48 positive results (0.86%), meaning the prevalence of the virus is modest. Nearly half of those infected had no symptoms. This is corroborated by a smaller study of 565 Japanese, in which about 31% of those who had Covid-19 never knew it. So what the science tells us, and I agree we should give science priority over histrionics, is that this virus only infects a small segment of the population, and a large proportion of those who get it never get sick.

Without question, some people become seriously ill. A few die. It has to be taken seriously. But we are over-reacting and this matter has become sensationalized. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has been spearheading the national response to this pandemic, told CNN he likes to be accused of over-reacting because that means he's doing it right. But he's failed to consider the medical maxim aegrescit medendo, i.e. the cure just might be worse than the disease.

Bret Stephens, a columnist for The New York Times, put it best: "Sooner or later, people will figure out that it is not sustainable to keep tens of millions of people in lockdown; or use population-wide edicts rather than measures designed to protect the most vulnerable; or expect the federal government to keep a $21 trillion economy afloat; or throw millions of people out of work and ask them to subsist on a $1,200 check."

Can we all return to earth already?