Oregon’s 1000th COVID-19 death

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Today, the Oregon Health Authority reported 30 new COVID-19 deaths, a tragic daily record. There have now been more than a thousand such deaths in the state. Also reported were 2,176 new confirmed cases, including 27 in the county I live (Hood River) and 21 in neighboring Wasco county.

The national situation is, of course, even more dire, with 14.2 million total cases and over 217 thousand total deaths–and this is before the full impact of Thanksgiving travel and gatherings reaches a peak.

Back in April, at the time of the eleventh death in Oregon, I wrote that each COVID-19 death is a tragedy onto itself, not merely a statistic. As the numbers grow, that remains deeply true.

It matters that we don’t become desensitized. It matters that we don’t feel powerless. It matters that we don’t use the repeated failures of this president’s leadership as an excuse. It matters that we listen to Oregon’s Governor, as she tries to keep the state as safe as possible.

Perhaps most of all, it matters to recognize that we each have a key role to play, in Oregon as across the nation.

Please wear masks, practice social distance, don’t travel if you don’t have to, and avoid large gatherings (yes, even holiday gatherings). When safe vaccines become available, get vaccinated—in what will hopefully be an orderly and respectful process.

The sooner we see all these actions as necessary to solve our dramatic collective problem, rather than an imposition on our individual freedoms, the sooner we will bring the crisis under control. The sooner we will bring our lives, and economy, back to some semblance of normal.

And the sooner we will stop wondering what personal and family tragedy was associated to statements such as: “Oregon’s 1000th COVID-19 death is a 67-year-old man in Multnomah County who tested positive on Nov. 10 and died on Nov. 23 at Adventist Medical Center. He had underlying conditions.”

— Antonio Baptista

Note: Some of my related thoughts on COVID-19:

• She had underlying medical conditions, April 4, 2020
• Life beyond COVID-19, May 27, 2020
• COVID-19 has no social conscience, but our leaders must, June 12, 2020
• “Stay calm, carry on,” Mr. President ?!?, September 11, 2020
• COVID-19: Brief thoughts, October 2, 2020
• A sadly different Thanksgiving, November 24, 2020