NRAAM has fallen…
Wisely so, but still. The annual event where NRA members come to see the latest exhibited goodies out the shooting industry, vote on board members and items, attend talks and conferences both technical and political, has been cancelled due to COVID-19.
What we are seeing is the live expression of just how powerfully virulent this virus is among a population. No it isn’t individually much more lethal than the flu, it’s the infection rates that need to be kept in check to keep lethal cases down. That means infection prevention and that means no large crowds.
Huh?
Okay, math time.
The CDC estimated there were 35.5 Million cases of the flu last year that resulted in about half that many medical interactions and roughly 35,000 deaths. The CDC estimates that if we don’t limit the infection curve, primarily by not hanging out in large coughing groups next to each other in buildings, the death toll could be somewhere between 200,000 and 1.7 Million.
That isn’t because the virus is, in an individual, magnitudes worse than the flu. It is because just about everyone can get COVID-19, its more infectious, and sticks around longer. So we could have a 5-7 times infection rate resulting in an equal mortality rate but with thousands more dead. Because that is how ratios work.
So, enjoy the time off (if you get some). Wash your hands. Be kind to your neighbor (don’t cough on them). If you become symptomatic go to hospital, doctor, or urgent care. I’m sorry March Madness got cancelled. Disney parks are closed. Movie premiers have been suspended. MLB and NHL season starts got pushed. But we all need to take the break from crowds to keep infection rates at manageable levels for our nations medical staff.
Now, fingers crossed for no payroll tax for the rest of the year!
