The following quote was taken from a study posted on the NIH website here...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...1/#!po=90.6250
Here is part of the summary of the study....
"People <65 years old had 30- to 100-fold lower risk of COVID-19 death than those ≥65 years old in 11 European countries and Canada, 16- to 52-fold lower risk in US locations, and less than 10-fold in India and Mexico. The absolute risk of COVID-19 death as of June 17, 2020 for people <65 years old in high-income countries ranged from 10 (Germany) to 349 per million (New Jersey) and it was 5 per million in India and 96 per million in Mexico. The absolute risk of COVID-19 death for people ≥80 years old ranged from 0.6 (Florida) to 17.5 per thousand (Connecticut). The COVID-19 mortality rate in people <65 years old during the period of fatalities from the epidemic was equivalent to the mortality rate from driving between 4 and 82 miles per day for 13 countries and 5 states, and was higher (equivalent to the mortality rate from driving 106–483 miles per day) for 8 other states and the UK. People <65 years old without underlying predisposing conditions accounted for only 0.7–3.6% of all COVID-19 deaths in France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Georgia, and New York City and 17.7% in Mexico."
Note in particular the comparison between the risks of dying from Covid and driving certain milleages per day. This study was meant to assess the risk of Covid to those in above and below 65 age groups with no underlying health problems. The study clearly shows that, to healthy people, Covid is simply not a significant risk to one's life or well-being.
The oft-used phrase, "Covid survivor," makes it sound as if that person is unusually lucky, when in reality surviving Covid is, for ALMOST all people, an un-noteworthy expected outcome. The "deadly Covid virus" can certainly be deadly, and to the elderly and those already burdened with difficult health situations, it is dangerous. No one disputes that, but Covid is not unusual in being dangerous to those people. The Covid virus is almost always NOT deadly to healthy individuals under 65....and usually not even noticeable.
Given previous exchanges with the few extremely vocal and frequent contributors to these threads, I've tried to simply just avoid these threads. The personal attacks, suppositions, and inaccurate protrayals of my statements present and past were uncalled for. However, I do understand WHY these folks feel so strongly; some work in hospital settings, where they see, on a constant dailly basis, the suffering and destruction Covid can wreak upon individuals. Surrounded by that suffering, one can't help but be affected and start to look at that microcosm as a larger reality, but it isn't. I understand the overwhelming feelings of compassion, sadness, and empathy... I share them. In a hospital or other health care facility, you are surround by those afflicted, and only those afflicted, and those serving the afflicted support each other as they do wonderful work and shoulder more risk than those of us who are not surrounded by sick people every day. Thank you.
If one feels the risks of contracting Covid are too great personally and wishes to protect themselves, one can do all of things recommended; get vaccinated, mask up, social distance, avoid gatherings of more than several people, stay home, etc... all of the things we all know about. However, at what point is it appropriate for one to tell someone ELSE what to do, thereby limiting that other person's ability to live their life as THEY wish?
On a much less severe scale, it's almost like the old arguments regarding vulgarity in public, or smoking in public areas. I hate both of those things, yet I don't have the right to require that others refrain from vulgarity so that I may go out in public. We did, at least in NYS, pretty much eradicate public smoking, and I admit I'm glad, but I don't agree with it. It makes no sense to me why virtually all people, communities, counties, states, and nations should be made to ALL suffer such economic, social, and emotional hardships, when we could simply protect those that need protecting. It's like reverse socialism..... instead of seeking income equity, we're seeking suffering equity. I recognize that is WAY overly simplistic and "socialism" isn't exactly the right word, but I'm hoping the gist of the comparison is clear.
In closing, please read the study I linked, especially if you are wrestling with constant fear of Covid. You may find at least a bit of solace there. Also, please note that I DO empathize with those of you who do not share my views of this; I understand personally although i won't go into how on a public internet forum. It is not my place to tell others how they should think and act. Whose place that IS is a personal search for each of us. If a human believes it is theirs, that human is sadly mistaken.