As I’ve watched the daily press briefings given by my state officials, it strikes me how they discuss COVID-19 deaths. They will list the age, gender, and county of the person who passed away before adding that one all-important phrase, “with underlying health conditions.” On the surface, at a public health level, that may seem like important information to include.
But that label divides the population into two groups: those with pre-existing health conditions and those without. It’s psychologically painful to feel an ongoing sense of risk.
People are not used to this level of discussion and disruption around health. It’s easier to choose to believe that we are not actually at risk, that everything will be fine for us.
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