Opinion
MILD MILD MILD PAIN PAIN PAIN
How will future Americans regard the pandemic? Depends BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ
www.LovinLife.com
EXCRUCIATING EXCRUCIATING EXCRUCIATING PAIN PAIN PAIN
Saving a Life from a potential catastrophe EVERY 10 MINUTES
Leibo At Large
It’s dangerous to contemplate history when a historical moment remains ongoing, but when your days stretch to infinity under quarantine, what else do you have to do? Lately, I’ve taken to pondering this: Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, how will we argue about it for the next century or so? Because let’s be real: Argument has replaced baseball and football as our national pastime. As I write this, the U.S. has more than 840,000 coronavirus positives and nearly 47,000 dead. Arizona has reported about 5,500 cases and 231 dead. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s national projection for the Fourth of July—which they warn has a high degree of uncertainty—is for about 68,000 dead across the country. The worst-case national scenario for Independence Day? More than 123,000 dead. The IHME’s model for Arizona predicts the number of daily deaths in the state falling throughout May and reaching zero in mid-June. The model for Arizona predicts close to 600 deaths by July 4, with a worst-case scenario of 1,700 lives lost. While it feels gruesome to me to talk purely in mathematics about dead human beings, it surely will be essential to our future arguments—which will likely break down, as does everything in America these days, into three camps: “What a tremendous waste of time!” These folks are already out protesting the lockdown outside the state Capitol. They’ll point back to the CDC’s initial worst-case estimates of 1.7 million American deaths and argue that they were deprived of their freedom for nothing. Signature quote, offered by a guy in a MAGA cap waving a Don’t Tread On Me flag: “For the same number of dead as a really bad flu season, we let liberal wussies
DISTRESSING DISTRESSING DISTRESSING PAIN PAIN PAIN
crash the whole freaking economy!” “Social distancing worked!” These optimistic arguers will point to America and Arizona having fallen short of the CDC’s dire death estimates and congratulate themselves for having sheltered in place while using massive stashes of Charmin’ as impromptu end tables. For them, spending two months at home watching Netflix and washing their hands raw ranks as a sacrifice alongside the Greatest Generation sending 16 million soldiers to fight World War II. Signature quote: “I’m going to celebrate with a spa day and some red, white and blue acrylic nails during the best mani-pedi ever!” “Imagine if!” The imagine-ifers will start every argument with that phrase, to detail why all of us have blood on hands. For them, our response to the pandemic, from the White House to the Copper Dome, has been a series of screw-ups that can only be measured by lives lost. “Imagine if people had taken social distancing seriously?” Or: “Imagine if Trump hadn’t been out there lying about testing?” Or: “Imagine if Doug Ducey had closed every business in the state back in February?” Their signature quote: “One life lost is one life too many.” So where do I stand? It’s too early yet, but I believe I will end up in all three camps simultaneously. Our response to COVID-19 has been erratic and marked by some worthless gestures— and many intelligent, noble actions. Social distancing has saved lives, though not as many lives as might have been saved by a more comprehensive, less screwed-up response. I imagine I’ll make the only point that matters: Arguing about COVID-19 is a luxury, because the alternative is not being alive to argue. David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995. Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.
NO NO NO PAIN PAIN PAIN
DISCOMFORTING DISCOMFORTING DISCOMFORTING PAIN PAIN PAIN
INTENSE INTENSE INTENSE PAIN PAIN PAIN
but I’m never alone. I have Life Alert.® AS SEEN ON
TV
For a FREE brochure call:
1-855-822-1055
Quit Quitplaying playing the theneuropathy neuropathy pain paingame. game. MILD
DISTRESSING
EXCRUCIATING
PAIN
PAIN
PAIN
NO
DISCOMFORTING
PAIN
PAIN
INTENSE PAIN
IfIfmedications medicationsand andsurgeries surgerieshaven’t haven’tstopped stoppedthe the tingling, tingling,pain painand andnumbness numbnessininyour yourfeet—you feet—youmay may
Quit playing Quit playingthe neuropathy pain game. the neuropathy
be beone oneofofthe thecountless countlesspeople peoplewho whoare aremisdiagnosed misdiagnosed each eachyear. year.Symptoms Symptomsofofneuropathy neuropathyoften oftenfeel feelvery very
pain game.
similar similartotosymptoms symptomsofofpoor poorcirculation circulationininyour yourlegs legs playing andfeet. feet.It’s Ifand medications and surgeries haven’t stoppedthe theneuropathy tingling, pain and It’stime timetotostop stop playing the neuropathy
numbness pain inpain yourgame. feet—you may be oneWe of the countless Call today. can help. game. Call today. We can help.people who are misdiagnosed each year. Symptoms of neuropathy often feel very medications and circulation surgeries haven’t stopped the It’s time similar toIfsymptoms of poor in your legs and feet. (480) 374-7354 and numbness in your feet—you may (480) 374-7354 to stoptingling, playing pain the neuropathy pain game. Call today. We can help. be one of the countless people who are misdiagnosed • •Tempe • •Phoenix Gilbert
Gilbert • Tempe • Phoenix (602) 954-0777 • •Flagstaff Sun City Sun City Flagstaff
each year. Symptoms of neuropathy often feel very
similar to symptoms of poor circulation in your legs
Gilbert • Tempe • Phoenix • Sun City • Flagstaff and feet. It’s time to stop playing the neuropathy
JOEL RAINWATER, MD • DAVID LOPRESTI, MD • MICHAEL SWITZER, MD JOEL RAINWATER, MICHAEL SWITZER, MD MD • DAVID LOPRESTI, MD • MICHAEL SWITZER, MD
game. CallMD today. We can help. JOEL RAINWATER, MDpain • DAVID • MICHAEL MD • KAREN KAREN GARBY, MD • LOPRESTI, JAMES MCEOWN, MD • SWITZER, MICHAEL MAKKI, DOGARBY, MD KAREN GARBY, MD • JAMES MCEOWN, MD • MICHAEL MICHAEL MAKKI, MAKKI, DO DO
JAMESJEFFREY MCEOWN,BRAXTON, MD • MICHAEL DODUWE, • JEFFREY • KEVIN MD MAKKI, • KEVIN MD BRAXTON, • JOSHUAMD CADY, DPMDUWE, MD
(480) 374-7354
JEFFREY BRAXTON, MD • KEVIN DUWE, MD • JOSHUA JOSHUA CADY, CADY, DPM DPM
JOSHUA CADY, DPM • DANIEL SCHULMAN, DPM • SHAH ASKARI, DPMASKARI, • KERRYDPM ZANG, DPM AVAILABLE AFTER APRIL 15 — KERRY ZANG, DPM • SHAH AVAILABLE AFTER APRIL 15 — KERRY ZANG, DPM • SHAH SHAH ASKARI, ASKARI, DPM DPM
Gilbert • Tempe • Phoenix Sun City • Flagstaff
COMPREHENSIVE
JOEL RAINWATER, MD • DAVID LOPRESTI, MD • MICHAEL SWITZER, MD KAREN GARBY, MD • JAMES MCEOWN, MD • MICHAEL MAKKI, DO
INTEGRATED CARE
JEFFREY BRAXTON, MD • KEVIN DUWE, MD • JOSHUA CADY, DPM
Passionate People
•
Compassionate Care
AVAILABLE AFTER APRIL 15 — KERRY ZANG, DPM • SHAH ASKARI, DPM
ciccenters.com itsnotneuropathy.com ciccenters.com• •itsnotneuropathy.com MAY 2020
|
5
