This was George Carlin’s standup routine about GERMS and our IMMUNE SYSTEM almost 15 years ago. It was prescient (Warning, F words galore) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X29lF43mUlo
When did we get stuck on stupid? It may have been a long time in the making but it’s bearing bumper crop now.
Yes, this makes us more vulnerable to outbreaks, not less vulnerable.
Considering some of the sketchy and very questionable public drinking fountains I used as a kid in the 1970s, that’s probably the source of why I almost never get sick.
The modern world is very rich, and very safe, and very fearful.
The fear largely comes from the fact that we are so rich and so safe.
Actually this should be very simple. People should be informed of the facts. If you are under sixty, and if you become infected, you may become ill but are likely but not guaranteed to recover. Over sixty, especially males, you are more likely to get ill and more likely to die. Then behave in accordance to your needs, realities and desires. Its called freedom. If the government wants to do something constructive, aid people especially older folks who are too frightened or have good reason to stay isolated. These lockdowns create more problems than they solve.
However, the overuse of antibiotics and antiseptic cleaners is impacting our ability to maintain a balance of healthy microbes in our bodies and environments. Studies continue to prove that harmful species will exploit areas with too few good bacteria to fight back. Sterility should not be our goal.
When I was a kid growing up on a dairy and hog farm, we were exposed daily to any number of pathogens, and you either got tough or died. Inside flush toilets were unheard of, there was the choice of the chamber pot or the privy outside.
And that exposure to a vast array of microorganisms was probably one of the less hazardous things country kids had to deal with.
Does this mean i can start picking my nose again?
Anyone who has even cracked a textbook knows this. Yet here we are, as someone said, stuck on stupid.
This is the reason why the Mrs. said no anti-bacterial in our home, about 15-20 years ago.
All these anti-bacterial are doing is creating super-bugs while weakening our immune systems. A double-whammy.
Like any virus, some people had it, some will get it. The vulnerable need to be uber careful and most people under 60 who get it are told to stay home for 14 days.