I’m writing in regard to the opinion piece “ Be Balanced About COVID ” that I came across from my daily Independent email. I was shocked to say the least to read this writer minimize the deaths of more than 160,000 people, and a projected 250,000, by stating they were “1/16th of a percent of the population” and that half was comprised of the elderly and immune-compromised.
I do not doubt that several readers of this newspaper have had loved ones die due to COVID-19, some of whom were perfectly healthy individuals. This article is tone-deaf, inconsiderate, and dangerous given the already tumultuous climate surrounding COVID-19 precautions.
While I understand it’s an opinion piece, it is one thing to state an opinion that the economic climate could lead to increased suicides as per the housing-market collapse in 2008. It is another thing to have a predominant print local paper publish an opinion piece minimizing the preventable deaths of over 160,000 people.