Don’t worry, unless your life already sucks, according to CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, COVID19 now is no big deal and you aren’t likely to die. “It is ‘encouraging’ to @CDCDirector that chronically ill & disabled Americans are dying. It's no wonder that @CDCgov has consistently refused to issue guidance protecting the health & wellbeing of chronically ill Americans – our deaths clearly don't count,” Matthew Cortland observed on Twitter, “This is eugenicist.”
This pandemic began with reassurances that only people who have health problems are at risk, don’t worry you won’t die unless you are old or have chronic health issues, and not much has changed since then. People can live happily with four or more comorbidities and are not throw-away people. Over 100 million people in the U.S. have more than one chronic condition and at least 30 million have five or more.
Walensky spoke on Good Morning America in response to a question about a study that shows how well vaccines are working: “Isn’t it time to start rethinking how we’re living with this virus, that it’s potentially here to stay?”
Walensky replied, “"The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75%, occurred in people who had at least 4 comorbidities. So really these are people who were unwell to begin with and yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron."
Yes it is time to rethink how to live with COVID. Where’s the CDC push for getting N95 masks to everyone? Improved access to testing that means no-cost at-home tests and ability to obtain them easily? OSHA and CDC should be demanding improvements to indoor air flow that protect everyone, such as workers and students. Let’s ensure vaccines are available worldwide to limit the chance of more variants emerging.
Walensky’s statement also glides over the truth that one’s outcome from a COVID19 infection isn’t binary recovered or dead. Long covid is a serious health conflict that affects 10 to 30% of people infected and, as of last summer, was known to include over 200 symptoms.
Check out this hashtag: #MyDisabledLifeIsWorthy