Guest Column: Playing Russian roulette with other people’s lives – Bend Bulletin

To wear a mask, or not wear a mask? To practice social distancing, or not practice social distancing?

We have become so polarized that answers to these questions in our community have been increasingly based on personal bias and political philosophies. Physicians and health care workers do not have such luxuries. They have spent their lives in pursuit of scientific truth and in prioritizing the patient and the publics well-being. Combating an infectious disease is a battle that requires everyones cooperation regardless of ones political persuasion.

We may disagree on how serious this pandemic was or how necessary it was to go in social isolation, but we should not refuse to take reasonable and cautious measures to protect our elderly, our vulnerable, and our children. Such stubbornness in the guise of medical freedom could be perceived as a lack of respect, a selfishness and a meanness that many clergy could call an absence of appreciation for human life and of moral behavior. Morality is defined here as Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

It makes me question whether I would risk being in the same room, let alone the same community, with narrow-minded behavior, which puts their neighbors and friends at such risk. We have already lost over 100,000 Americans to the coronavirus. The numbers of coronavirus infections have increased from seven during week May 3-9 to 10 week May 10-16 to 10, week May 16-23 to 22, and 11 May 24-30. These numbers are mirrored statewide. The data since the lockdown was lifted hasnt been yet released publically. Now one may try to say that such increases are due to increased testing or that one should only look at the number of hospitalizations, but the point is that the virus has not been eliminated from the general population. Its foolish to come up with an endless parade of rationalizations to excuse socially irresponsible behavior. One might as well play Russian roulette.

Wait! Am I purposefully being too provocative here? This issue strikes a deep chord within me 35 years of trying to convince folks to use medications preventatively and improve the quality of their lives. Many exercised their medical freedom to do whatever they wanted only to call me in the middle of the night to bail them out. How many physicians have to bail out patients who arent accountable? But this isnt just about them harming themselves or driving up the cost of health care. Such unaccountable folks are walking around petri dishes infecting innocent others. As someone once said, Ones liberty ends when another persons begins. Of the coronavirus patients, over 16% are health care workers who mostly caught it taking care of others. They have families and they too are at risk. Health care workers are even quarantining themselves from their own families so that they can continue to take care of their patients. Do health care workers have the freedom to not take care of such reckless people? Why does society constrain health care workers and not refusniks? Is it because they are moral, and value life? Yes, there may be a few citizens that have medical conditions or disabilities that limit their ability to wear a mask, but, they are relatively few.

The Oregon Health Authority is beginning to identify workplaces of more than five cases . This and liability issues may incentivize employers to post and enforce policies of masking and social distancing.

However, if we want to open up the economy, prevent further social isolation, anxiety, depression and suicide, lets all get our priorities straight and get the best odds of protecting as many of our fellow members of the human race as humanly possible. Public health is not always a government conspiracy.

Dr. David B. Coutin is a retired immunologist who lives in Bend.

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Guest Column: Playing Russian roulette with other people's lives - Bend Bulletin