The Virus Doesn’t Care Whose Side You’re On

Every day in the United States, the numbers go up. More than 210,000 dead. Seven million infected.

Medical professionals say that wearing masks would have greatly reduced these numbers. Imagine: grandparents still alive, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters—alive. But they’re gone, and we grieve.

According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, as of Sept. 23, if US mask use rose to 95%, we could save nearly 100,000 lives by January 1. Unfortunately, according to numerous studies, mask-wearing in the U.S. has been stuck at around fifty percent. The most infamous non-mask-wearer of them all?

Donald Trump.

It surprised no one when, as of Oct. 6, the coronavirus disease struck Mr. Trump, along with 18 of his aides, associates, and family members. The reckless behavior of President Trump and his Republican enablers has come back to bite them.

The virus thrives when maskless people gather in large numbers. It doesn’t care if its victim is the President or an ordinary Joe or Jane. We’ve known this for a long time.

So let’s imagine something more positive. All of us wear masks. We follow the guidelines of health professionals. We demonstrate that true patriotism means caring for our neighbors and our communities, for people we know and for people we don’t know. We elect leaders who respect science and tell us the truth. We save those 100,000 lives.

It’s time to vote Democrat.