Now is not the time for passive acceptance. Our health, wealth, liberty, and way of life are at stake, and so is our country

Stop the COVID-19 Insanity Now



Updated: April 9, 2020

It is the gross overreaction of certain government and business leaders to the Wuhan coronavirus of 2020, otherwise known as COVID-19, that is the danger to the United States, not the virus itself. The abundance of data show that the virus is similar in danger to the seasonal flu, and the longer governments persist in their overreaction, the more severe damage they will do to the economy and the lives that depend on it.

Number of people who will die of COVID-19 illness will be a small fraction of those who die of the flu every season The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that from October 1, 2019 to March 28, 2020, approximately 24,000-63,000 have died of the flu out of 246,842 confirmed cases. That’s a confirmed case fatality rate (CCFR) of roughly 10% to 25%. As of April 8, there have been 14,831 reported fatalities among 435,553 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States. That is a CCFR of about 3.4%—which is at most 34% of the CCFR of the flu. However, because most people with non-life threatening symptoms don’t present themselves to health facilities to be tested or counted for statistics, the CCFR for both illnesses vastly overestimate the actual chance of dying if infected: the infection fatality rate (IFR). To calculate the IFR, the number of fatalities is divided by the estimated number of people infected. So how can we know what the IFR is for contracting COVID-19? If people who manifest similar symptoms are both hospitalized and tested for COVID-19 as they would be for the flu, then we can make a rough comparison between them. It is estimated by the CDC that about 39 to 55 million people have contracted the flu during the 2019-2020 season. If we divide the flu fatalities stated previously, by the estimated number of infections, it would mean a flu IFR that is at most 0.16%.

Left are already calling for using this opportunity to nationalize industries, socialize medicine, explode the debt, universalize the welfare state, and to violate constitutional rights and liberties We know that the CCFR of COVID-19 is at most 34% of the CCFR of the flu. If the IFR of COVID-19 is a similar fraction of the flu IFR, then 34% of 0.16% results in an IFR for COVID-19 of at most approximately 0.05%. If that fatality rate holds, and the number of people who are infected with COVID-19 is between one and two times the high estimate of those infected by the flu virus (55 to 110 million) it would mean a rough high estimate of about 30,000 to 60,000 fatalities—which is basically the number of fatalities from the seasonal flu. Given those numbers, it becomes clear that the number COVID-19 fatalities will be similar to the number of seasonal flu fatalities. So we should be asking questions that the hysteria promoting media are apparently avoiding: Why haven’t states or the federal government ever taken these kinds of measures before for any other illness in history?

If the country is not shut down because of the flu, and wasn’t for the H1N1 swine flu of 2009, why shut it down for COVID-19?

How do the confirmed case rates of growth and fatality rates of growth in states with business closures compare with states without business closures?

What kind of effect can we expect the economic destruction caused by restrictions to have on long term health and mortality, including suicide?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to encourage the vulnerable to self-isolate, than to close businesses and restrict everyone?

If there is a safe and effective treatment (hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin) and a vaccine, why continue the restrictions?

Are these the kind of measures we can expect from now on for the seasonal flu or outbreaks of similar illnesses which regularly occur several times per decade? If not, why not?

If COVID-19 can remain viable on surfaces for days, what is the likelihood of not coming into contact with the virus when grocery stores, hardware stores, banks, and post offices remain open and people still handle store items, shopping carts, money, credit card terminals, and the daily mail?

If shopping at grocery stores is allowed, why is shopping at any other store different?

How is it moral to have the government prevent small businessmen and their employees from earning a living and then demand of them the tax money to pay government employees who are not working during that same period?

Where can people find the constitutional authority for the federal or state governments to shut down businesses, and restrict gatherings and internal travel?

What are the limits to government powers under a declaration of emergency? A state-by-state examination of the graphs of COVID-19 confirmed cases and fatalities indicates no correlation between the imposition of business shutdowns and either the growth rate of infection or the growth rate of fatalities. On the other hand, it is well documented that economic decline leads to a decline in health and life expectancy. That makes sense. Wealth is dependent on productivity. Higher productivity creates a greater abundance of goods and services on which our health depends, which makes them more affordable: the basic resources we need, the quality of our medical care, the quality of our place of residence, greater freedom to engage in professions that are less hazardous or stressful, and time-off for relaxation and self-improvement. Sudden economic decline, particularly business failure, bankruptcy, and unemployment are also significant contributors to death by suicide. Ultimately, our health depends on our ability to keep doing, without interference, what each one of us does best. Health will not be the only casualty of the overreaction, so will the American way of life and what we are conditioned to tolerate. Freedom to do what we do best as individuals and to trade freely with others with reliable currency, under a reliable system of laws that protect our rights, is the reason that Americans enjoy such a high standard of living in general. So far, various leaders in both major parties have undermined all of those things. Americans are being threatened with arrest for going to going to work, going to church, operating and patronizing businesses, and being told that their currency will be inflated to pay companies and individuals for doing nothing—none of which have any basis in the federal or state constitutions. Those on the left are already calling for using this opportunity to nationalize industries, socialize medicine, explode the debt, universalize the welfare state, and to violate constitutional rights and liberties. If we allow these un-American precedents to be set over the pretext of dealing with an illness that could be less dangerous than the flu, is there any reason to believe that the American way of life and our current standard of living is likely to continue?





Many individuals and small businesses cannot survive weeks of no income Whatever your talent, skill, job, or business, do you believe that government interference helps you produce more and better goods or services at a lower cost? If not, then how would the emergence of a new virus change that? If the mandates, closures, and restrictions were not imposed, there would be no panic. Individuals and businesses would always move to fill any need, whether it be treatments and supplies for a fighting a disease, or new demand for certain household goods. Any shortages of ventilators, hospital beds, treatments, tests, and cures are the result of the heavy regulation over the field of medicine—many of which have come to the public’s attention due to the announcements of the temporary easing of some of them. The shortages in masks, toilet paper, and shelf-stable food items are caused by anti-gouging laws. Without them, prices could be temporarily raised to meet demand and discourage hoarding. What is worse, finding what you need at a temporarily elevated price, or not finding what you need at any price? Virtually everywhere you see shortages, government interference is responsible. Make no mistake: it is not the virus that is causing economic destruction: it is the government. Many individuals and small businesses cannot survive weeks of no income. Not only will the proposed handouts not make up for their staggering losses, incurring debt to distribute printed “stimulus” or bailout money will cause even further economic destruction from inflation. If the state and federal governments ruin the economy with their overreaction, people will lose their jobs and businesses, goods and services will become more expensive, and quality of life will diminish. Time wasted in mandated idleness can never be recovered. Many people will be misled to believe that the same government policies that caused the problems should be increased to solve them. That will make the adoption of a total welfare state, socialism, and a centrally planned economy more likely: all of which will permanently decrease quality of life and increase mortality far beyond what COVID-19 would ever have caused.





Our enemies are watching closely Also, our enemies are watching closely. If we paralyze ourselves and destroy our economy because of something that is not even as bad as the flu, they must be imagining what would we do to ourselves if the virus had been more deadly. What reason would they have to not use that form of attack? This kind of weakness must not be shown to our enemies. The precedent should never be set that this is the way to deal with a new contagious disease: putting people in a panic with grim tones and dour faces, getting people accustomed to dictatorial edicts, violating people’s constitutional rights with shutdowns and travel restrictions, increasing debt for “stimulus” and bailouts, and getting people used to receiving checks for doing nothing. It would be much better instead for the government to do nothing. That way, they won’t further interfere with the ability of the free market to meet people’s needs, including solving the problems caused by this illness or any other illness. If politicians feel the urge to deflect media criticism by taking action, they should take the opportunity to make it clear to the American people that they have determined that COVID-19 is less dangerous than the flu, approve the existing vaccine for immediate use, repeal anti-gouging laws, and cut or eliminate the payroll tax. They should also immediately end all restrictions, and stop with the bailouts, handouts, and “stimulus” bills. In fact, every American should contact their governors, congressional representatives, and the White House and insist on those things. Now is not the time for passive acceptance. Our health, wealth, liberty, and way of life are at stake, and so is our country.

Eitan Adut -- Bio and Archives Eitan Adut is a small business owner and former mathematics teacher.

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