COVID is not at all like the flu.

I’m sick. . .sick of hearing people say that too much is being made of “this COVID thing”. . .that it’s no worse than the seasonal flu. . .that we should listen to coaches and players. . .that we should wait until people get sick before we cancel school and college sports seasons. I feel like a mosquito in a nudist colony: I hardly know where to begin.

First. The reason that so much is being made of this COVID thing is that it has infected more people around the world faster than any other virus in more than 100 years. That’s a fact, reported and accepted by medical authorities and media sources of all but the most extreme persuasions.

Second. This COVID thing has killed in less than a half year more people than die of the flu in two years. Daily death rates, new COVID cases, and the percentage of positive results from testing are all on the rise. And, unlike the flu, there is no COVID vaccine. And without an effective and widely available vaccine, we may still be closer to the start of this pandemic than the end.

Third. Participants are being heard. Dozens of professional football players have spoken, and are refusing to play. Dozens of college players have spoken, and are refusing to play. Hundreds of “power five” college conference football players have signed public statements expressing concerns that there have been inadequate precautions made for the upcoming football season.

Fourth. In the face of a threat as easily demonstrated as this one, leaders who expose students to this COVID thing expose themselves to being fired, sued and disgraced if they wait until someone gets sick. Their legal and moral responsibility is to keep people from getting sick, and they will be found responsible for resulting sickness and death if they recklessly return students to risky settings.

This COVID thing is not at all like the flu.

JER