August 6, 2020 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
©
Shelton Mason County Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 4 (4 of 40 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
August 6, 2020 |
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader ![]() |
Page A-4 — Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020
THESE TIMES
Things we said in February
emember Febru-
ary — that
month when most
of us could be childishly
naive about the potential
ern Europe, but
there seems to be
enough warning in
advance to poten-
tially halt this epi-
of a spiky virus? Febru- demic in the U.S.
ary started about a week and in Europe.
after the first reported Numbers will go
coronavirus infection in up, but it shouldn’t
the United States (in By KIRK , look anything near
Snohomish County) and ERICSON like what we’re
it ended, on Feb. 29, with seeing in China,”
the first reported U.S. — Dean of the
COVID-19 death (in Kirk-
land). Let’s look back and see
what some people were saying
about the novel coronavirus a
half a year ago.
Feb. 2: “It’s very, very
transmissible, and it almost
certame is going to be a
pandemic. But will it be cata-
strophic? I don’t know.” — Dr.
Anthony S. Fauci, director of
the National Institute of Al-
lergy and Infectious Disease
Feb. 4: “This virus has lit-
erally only existed on planet
Earth in humans for maybe
two months. There is so much
we don’t know about it that
it leads us to take additional
precautions.” —Acting deputy
secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security Kenneth
Cuccinelli
Feb. 7: “Just had a long
and very good conversation
by phone with President Xi
of China. He is strong, sharp
and powerfully focused on
leading the counterattack
on the Coronavirus. He feels
they are doing very well, even
building hospitals in a matter
of only days. Nothing is easy,
but he will be successful,
especially as the weather
starts to warm & the virus
hopefully becomes weaker,
and then gone. Great disci-
pline is taking place in China,
as President Xi strongly leads
what will be a very success-
ful operation. We are working
closely with China to help!”
—— Tweet by current U.S. presi-
dent
' Feb. 11: “We now have a
name for the disease and it’s
COVID-19.” World Health
Organization chief Tedros Ad-
hanom Ghebreyesus
Feb. 16: “The numbers will
go up in the U.K., U.S., West-
USPS 492-800
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
PUblished weekly by the Shelton—Mason County Journal
at 227 W. Cota St, Shelton, Washington.
Mailing address: PO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone: 360—426-441
Website: www.masoncounty.com
Periodicals postage paid in Shelton, Washington.
Slnltmtfillaaoamnt
National School of Tropical
Medicine at Baylor College of
Medicine Peter Hotez
Feb. 20: “So, where should
you put this virus on your risk
list? Me, I’m ranking it low,
but with an option to revisit.”
— Shelton-Mason County
Journal columnist Kirk Eric-
son
Feb. 24: “The coronavirus
is the common cold, folks.”
Radio talker Rush Limbaugh
Feb. 24: “The Coronavirus
is very much under control in
the USA. We are in contact
with everyone and all rel—
evant countries. CDC & World
Health have been working
hard and very smart. Stock
Market starting to look very
good to me!” — Tweet by cur-
rent U .S. president
. Feb. 25: “We expect we will
see community spread in this
country. It is not a matter of
if, but a question of when, this
will exactly happen.” Di-
rector of the CDC’s National
Center for Immunization and
Respiratory Diseases Nancy
Messonnier
Feb. 25: “We have con-
tained this, I won’t say air-
tight, but pretty close to air-
tight.” — Director of the White
House’s National Economic
Council Larry Kudlow
Feb. 28: “This is a reality
check for every government
on the planet: Wake up, get
ready. This virus may be on
its way, and you need to be
. ready. You have a duty to
your citizens, you have a duty
to the world, to be ready.” —
Executive director of the WHO
Health Emergencies Program
Dr. Mike Ryan
see TIMES, page A-5
' Association.
The Shelton-Mason County Jour-
nal is a member of the Wash-
ington Newspaper Publishers
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
$62 per year ($43 for six months)
for Mason County addresses and
$75 per year ($55 for six months) '
outside of Mason County.
Owned and published by
Shelton-Mason County Journal, lnc.
EDITORIAL '
Perspective changes the view
a silver lining.
Unless of course, you’re killed by a
lighting strike from that cloud. .
The continual barrage of data in the
national news focuses on the biggest num-
bers, and we encourage our readers to look
into the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins Uni—
versity for context.
While the number of COVID-19 infected
people in the United States continues to
grow, the disease mortality rate has been
in steady decline for most of the past 30
weeks, according to the CDC.
Again, not good news if you were killed
by the lightning bolt.
The point is, there’s a lot to worry about
if all you do is scan the headlines.
But perspective can change the way you
feel. ' ‘
If you’re worried about being killed by
the murder hornet, which invaded the
shores of Washington last year, it’s com-
forting to know that entomologists .at the
state Department ‘of Agriculture have
captured a live specimento study. That’s
no small feat when you consider that there
have been only six confirmed sightings of
the bug in the United States. And while
this is good news for scientists and people
worried about the threat of the invading
insect, it’s not so good news for the Murder
Hornet.
There’s still too much we don’t know
It’s been said that every dark cloud has
about the global pandemic but with every
hour that passes, we know more.
The University of Washington’s Insti—
tute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
reported last week that, if 95 percent of
people wear cloth masks when they’re out ,
and about interacting with other people,
it reduces transmission by at least 30 per-
cent. In other words, each infected person
will go on to infect 30 percent fewer people.
AliMokdad is on that research team and
suggested that the wearing of masks could
prove a more powerful deterrent than lock-
downs.
This gives us, hope that if there is a
resurgence of the disease, rather than
widespread quarantine and shuttering of
businesses, we could instead wear masks,
socially distance and quarantine only those
infected and those most at risk of succumb-
, ing to the disease.
lCOVID—19 Continues to wreak havoc on
our psyches and on our economy and that
is because of the undeniable fact that this
is a deadly disease. _
And although tempers continue to flare
over how to protect oneself and each other,
we see an array of possibilities as our soci- .
ety continues to work on trying to get back
to normal. .
We should not despair nor should we be
overly optimistic. a
.Rather, let us resolve to be pragmatic
and pay attention to what appears to be i
working, and take comfort in that.
MAYBE I SHOULD
REQUIRE MASKS SO
PEOPLE DON'T RISK
DEATH TO MEET ME.
Minimal
Publisher/editor: Tom Mullen
Advertising:
John Lester, general manager Delivery:
Theresa Murray, ad representative Jon Garza
David Olson
Newsroom:
Gordon Weeks, reporter
Justin Johnson, sports/outdoors editor
Isabella Breda, reporter
Kirk Ericson, columnist/ proofreader
Lloyd Mullen, creative director
Kirk Boxleitner, reporter
Front office:
Dave Pierik, office administrator
Niel Challstrom
All regular editorial. advertising
and legal deadlines are 5 pm. the
- Monday prior to publication.
To submit a letter to the editor, 1
email adam@masoncounty.com.
Composing room: .
William Adams, advertising and
technical support