Is COVID-19 Losing Steam as it Spreads?

Dr. Christine Pickup and I were having an off-air conversation.  If you don’t know her, she’s an audiologist with Mt. Harrison Audiology in Rupert.  On-air, I had been asking her how a COVID-19 infection could impact hearing.  During a commercial break, I wondered aloud if the worst was done.

She replied she closely follows the research of a doctor in Ohio.  His name is Douglas G. Frank.  He suggests the notion of herd immunity so many of us believe is coming could actually be years away.  And it won’t save lives today.  On the flip side, he does appear to suggest the worst of the pandemic is fading.  Saying the initial outbreaks were like a wildfire taking out the most vulnerable timber.  Now we’re dealing with isolated hotspots around the country. 

It looks like spread may rapidly continue but the worst of the deadly aspects may be finished for now.  I think I saw a CDC report where the spike in infections was strong but the infected were standing up better to the virus.

Frank works to stay away from news media coverage of the disease, so as not to skew his research and conclusions.  Meanwhile, he’s not alone in using the wildfire analogy.  Something called the Osterholm Update from the University of Minnesota is tracking spread in a similar manner.

From what I’ve read and what I’ve listened to, my conclusion is COVID is worse than the common cold and most flu but not nearly as bad as it has been portrayed in general news coverage.  News focuses on the incongruous and in a competitive environment needs eyeballs and ears on screens, pages and radios.