In response to the Sept. 15 article “COVID spread ‘very high’ in Sanpete, exceeds state rate.”
Over the past 18 months the COVID-19 pandemic is and has been a terrible challenge for all of us. It has changed our lives in many ways. My deepest sympathy goes out to those who have lost loved ones. I want to give a big shoutout to all the medical people who have been on the front lines sacrificing so much to take care of COVID-19 patients. I salute you!
I cannot talk of the medical side of COVID-19; I am not qualified in any way to do so. I would, however, like to comment about the way “we the people” are continuously being misled and misinformed about COVID-19.
Every time I hear or read an update on COVID-19, whether it be local or national, the only information they give is: the number of new cases, the total number of cases, and the number of deaths. All negative. We are never told the positives: how many people have recovered and what the death rate is. WHY?
Even in last week’s newspaper, the information given was very misleading. The article reported Sanpete County had an average of 31 cases a day, which became 142 cases per 100,000. We don’t even have 29,000 people in Sanpete County. The article then claimed a 147 percent increase in the county as “very high” compared to the state average. These statistics are incomplete, misleading and negatively slanted.
The truth is not so hard to find. According to Utah.gov, Sanpete County has had 4,799 COVID-19 cases (only 16.9% percent of the county’s population) and 29 deaths. That is a death rate of 0.6 percent. 4,770 people in Sanpete County recovered. The state of Utah has a population of 3.206 million. 491,000 COVID-19 cases (15.3 percent) and 2,787 deaths. A death rate of 0.57 percent. This means that 488,213 people recovered. When we are given the right information in a truthful way, it gives us hope instead of fear. The stats given in the newspaper about the school districts show that there are 5,949 students in Sanpete County; 42 currently have COVID-19. That’s 0.7% in our schools. It means 5,907 of our students are healthy.
I am not saying COVID-19 is nothing to worry about. It can be deadly and we must protect ourselves all we can, which includes getting vaccinated. I believe “we the people” can be better served if we are given the right tools. I challenge our local media sources to strive for positive and truthful articles. I know they are out there.
Teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves.
Gerald Wayman,
Ephraim
