To the Editor:
I would like to respond to the “Don’t Open Beach Parking Lots” letter and petition. In my opinion, the folks signing the petition are giving in to fear, and are ignorant of the actual risks of COVID. It would be nice if our town officials and state officials would actually comment on the statistics that are available online — in regards to COVID.
Here are the statistics:
https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus
No question that CT has been hit hard by COVID. Our state ranks 7th in total COVID deaths, with a population ranked 29th in the country.
However — our children are NOT at risk. There has not been a single death in the state of CT from COVID under the age of 20.
And for anyone under the age of 50 that is otherwise healthy (no other underlying health condition) the odds of dying from COVID is infinitesimal.
As/of today, only 61 people under the age of 50 in CT have died from COVID, just 2.2% of total COVID fatalities in the state. That is a fatality rate (using 2.2 million in the state under age 50) of 0.0028%. Compare that to the Seasonal Influenza fatality rate of 0.01% (US, ages 0-54, 2017, data from the CDC).
And of those 61 people under 50 who have died from COVID, it’s likely that more than 90% had at least one comorbidity (extrapolating from NY State and other state statistics, because CT doesn’t disclose this).
So that would mean about six people — who were otherwise healthy — died from COVID under the age of 50. Again, of the 2.2 million people in the state under 50, that is a fatality rate of 0.00027%. As I said, infinitesimal.
So far, 93% of all COVID deaths in the state of CT have been ages 60 and older.
Within the last week a World Health Organization (WHO) study showed that children DON’T pass the COVID virus to an adult. In fact, the study couldn’t find a single case of a child passing the virus to an adult.
And no, we don’t have to be concerned about another “wave” of the virus that might be as bad or worse than what we’ve already experienced. Unprecedented amounts of resources have been committed to potential treatments, and the development of a vaccine.
Dozens of consortia around the world are working on treatments, and all have been fast-tracked. Pfizer is already — today — administering an experimental vaccine to patients.
The at-risk people — over 65, or if anyone has an underlying illness like a smoker, diabetic or someone with heart disease — those people need to use the appropriate precautions.
If you don’t fit into one of those two categories, your risk of dying from COVID is less than from seasonal Influenza.
As I pointed out, the risk from dying if you are under 50 and otherwise healthy is infinitesimal. This is what our town officials should be talking about. Instead, people cower in fear. And accost people in the street — outside — for not wearing a mask.
My kids have already been accosted multiple times — for being outside and 6 feet apart — for not wearing a mask. That is wrong, and needs to end.
Fred Kuehndorf
Westport
