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Covid-19 Debunked the Myth of Independence
If Covid-19 taught us anything, it’s that we are incapable of staying away from one another. It turned out to be our fatal flaw. Our dependency on one another was a big part of it, but the myth of independence played just as big a role.
Our Chief Vulnerability
What makes Covid-19 so dangerous is not its case mortality rate, which ranges from about one percent to nine percent depending on which country you’re in. The real problem is the transmission rate. Essentially, a larger number of infections translates to more deaths.
The case of Ebola
In spite of a case mortality rate that ranges from 20 percent to 90 percent, Ebola killed only about 15,000 people. The Covid-19 pandemic has killed almost three million people worldwide because of how contagious it is.
The best defense against contagiousness is physical distance. Our inability to maintain that distance proved to be our biggest weakness.
The Social Distance Challenge
Covid-19 exploited our failure to stay apart, in spite of mandated lockdowns, social distancing guidelines and quarantine protocols. Some of it was due to inadequate government responses. Some of it was due to mixed messaging. Some people simply flouted the…
