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Dear Editor,
It’s no doubt that the pandemic has taken over the news for the past six months, and it seems as if our entire lives have changed as a result of COVID-19. However, we can’t go back to normal yet, and it is important that people better understand how to interpret the new statistics and news about the virus, seeing that the risk posed from the virus is still present.
I am a recent Westfield High School graduate, and I am a student at Washington University in St. Louis. Currently, I am enrolled in a class called “The Pandemic: Science and Society,” where over the past few weeks I have heard from professors at my own institution, and from many doctors around the United States regarding the science of the pandemic and how it has affected society. In this time, I have learned a plethora of new skills for interpreting statistics that have helped me to gain a better understanding about the current situation, and I’d like to share some of this information with the readers.
First, when looking at statistics for the number of cases, it’s important to remember that the values you see are going to be under the amount of true cases due to ascertainment bias. This means that because a majority of people with COVID-19 are asymptomatic or have very slight symptoms, not all of these people are going to get tested and the recorded number of cases will be smaller than the true number. Some estimates have even said that there are likely 10 times as many cases as what are reported. While these unreported cases likely don’t account for many deaths, they are still able to spread the virus. (Dr. Rachel Penzykowski)
Next, I wanted to express the importance of staying socially distant and keeping away from large gatherings. One toll that I was provided with during class is the “Covid-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool,” found at covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu. This allows you to calculate the odds of someone with COVID-19 being present at a gathering of varying sizes in counties across the United States. Currently in Hamilton County, the tool shows there is an 89 percent chance of a COVID-19 positive individual being present at a gathering of 100 people, so keep this in mind before you go to a large gathering. (Dr. Rachel Penzykowski)
Lastly, when hearing statistics about the virus, it is important not to develop stigma against certain groups of people. For example, you may hear on the news that many of the people who are dying from the virus are from minority groups; however, the virus does not discriminate. In our community these minority groups have a lower average income, less access to healthcare, and have experienced discrimination in other areas, even if it isn’t always overt. Over many years has made minority groups more vulnerable to underlying health conditions that affect the outcome of the disease. This is unfortunate and means that minority groups are in need of the community’s support right now, and untrue stigmas about these groups make a bad situation worse. (Dr. Utibe Essien)
I hope that as a county we all continue to do our part to stop the spread, while continuing to keep an open mind about the pandemic. As a community we can’t get complacent in wearing masks or with social distancing, just as we can’t reinforce stigmas and ignore the societal impacts of the virus.
Levi Kaster
Westfield