Rx for Recovery

Dr. “Daniel G. Murphy, MD, is chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx”; he’s “been in the ER every day these last few weeks, either supervising or providing direct care.” And he “say[s] it’s time to start opening up.” He traces the pandemic’s “crest” in New York City to “1 p.m. April 7,” when “the COVID-19 arrivals slowed down. It was a discrete, noticeable event. Stretchers became available by 5 p.m., and the number of arriving COVID-19 patients dropped below the number discharged, transferred or deceased.”

Notice that was three weeks ago, plenty of time to have eased restrictions. Yet America’s petty tyrants have only increased their despotism. They’re gaining too much power and fame to dial back the hysteria they’ve ginned up; rather, they’ll stretch this “crisis” as long as possible. Only a few Americans could have named their state’s governor before this nonsense started; I’d bet most can today. And quacks in “public health” whom no one had ever heard of two months ago, now order us around as they please, dictating our wardrobes, telling us how to interact with one another, and even determining whether we may earn our daily bread. That sort of authority intoxicates, especially among faceless, ineffective bureaucrats.

But I interrupted the good doctor. He also laments the indirect casualties from the political panic: 

…our ER has been quiet for more than a week. We usually average 240 patients a day. For the last week, we averaged fewer than 100. That means our patients in this diverse, low-income community are afraid to come to the ER for non-COVID care.

… A large share of those staying home surely have emergency medical and surgical conditions not related to the novel coronavirus. The growing numbers ­dying at home during this crisis must include fatal myocardial infarctions, asthma exacerbations, bacterial infections and strokes.”

Why hasn’t this tragedy bothered the latter-day Stalins at the public health departments? The question answers itself.

Dr. Murphy ends his call for sanity with this plea:

Standing up to this virus can’t be the job of essential workers only. We’ve been strong, but we’re tired, and we need the rest of you to help us. By getting back to work.

And by refusing to kowtow to anti-Constitutional, illegal orders. Defy, defy, defy!

The Best of Becky Akers