Telling People to Protect THEIR Health Can Be Dangerous to YOUR Health

Public health officials have been warning us for months now about the dangers of the novel coronavirus, about how devastating it can be, how easy it is to spread, and, most importantly, how we can protect ourselves and everyone around us from it. In response, a grateful nation is . . . well, most of us are grateful, but a lot of people are so ungrateful that they are driving the very people who are trying to save us out of their jobs for doing so.

Some public health officials are resigning amid threats during the Covid-19 pandemic

There are more than 2.3 million reported Covid-19 cases throughout the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data. There have been at least 120,393 virus-related deaths.

Yet across the US, many people have taken issue with guidance from health officials — as the act of wearing a mask to protect others during a pandemic has become a political and cultural flashpoint.

“Taking issue” is putting it mildly. The National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) reports:

“Public health department officials and staff have been physically threatened and politically scapegoated,” Theresa Spinner, NACCHO communications director, said in a statement.

As a result, many have obtained personal security as protection.

That includes Dr. Fauci and the Georgia state commissioner of public health. Over 20 county and state health directors have resigned after getting threats.

Amy Acton, the director of the Ohio Department of Health, resigned recently in the wake of criticism of the state's coronavirus restrictions. Protesters had turned up at her home several times, CNN affiliate WSYX reported, and one state lawmaker called her a “dictator.”

Since March, the team at [Los Angeles] County Health has been attacked via email, public postings, and letters. At least one health official has a sheriff escort in the community because of threats, DeBurgh told CNN in an email.

Orange County's Health Officer Dr. Nicole Quick resigned earlier this month amid threats to her personal safety.

Chris Farnitano, the Contra Costa County health officer, has had protests outside his home that were broadcast live on Facebook, DeBurgh said.

Kat DeBurgh, the executive director of Health Officers Association of California, compared this to the anti-vaxxer movement:

“We recognize some of the names and tactics of the opponents of vaccine laws in the past,” DeBurgh said, “but we've never seen a reaction like this.”

There’s some evidence that Russia has a hand in pushing the anti-vaxxer people. Whether they are also encouraging the attacks on public health officials is not something I’ve seen discussed yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised; Putin’s goal is to continue to destabilize the United States. In any case, Bunker Boy is certainly mad at the health scientists for demanding safety measures that have an impact on the economy.

This is where our country is at in the year 2020. In the middle of a health crisis such as we haven’t seen for a hundred years, in the nation that has set the world standard for health education, the officials who have been selected for their experience and expertise in public health, and who rely on the best public health information system in the world, are being hounded, harassed, driven from office, because they have been doing their best to protect us.

It’s almost like a part of the United States would rather we all die rather than they should give up their fantasies.