Reader disagrees with statements made in opinion piece

To the editor:

Do not believe Larry Wood’s statement (Frontiersman, May 310 that “Fauci was right, this is no more than a bad flu season.” I don’t believe for a minute that Dr. Fauci has said any such thing. He has said COVID-19 is about 10 times as lethal as the seasonal flu (and W.H.O. has estimated much higher lethality). Again and again, Dr. Fauci has warned us about the extreme risk of easing restrictions. COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that has killed at least 100,000 people of all ages in the U.S. So far, we have been lucky here in Alaska, but that isn’t likely to last, especially if we don’t take precautions. And by the way, where should Dr. Zink be getting her information if not from the CDC?

The CDC is about the best we have in the U.S., for careful scientific study of the data and developing guidelines. The economic impacts of the shutdown have been terrible. But what about the potential impacts of a wave of deaths? And who is it who will be in the most danger? It will be those who can’t afford to stay home—the same people who are being hit hardest by the shutdown. We really should be supporting them with continued income, and helping small business owners too. That’s a fiscal and political problem that won’t be solved easily. Short of that, it seems Gov. Dunleavy is being reasonable in a very tough situation.

— Phil Somervell,

Palmer