by Gerry Silverstein
One of the great failings in Vermont, and all 50 states in truth, is that tens of millions of people communicate via sound bites, tweets, and other non-informative feel-good gibberish.
With regard to COVID the majority of the Vermont (and national) citizenry lack sufficient scientific literacy to understand what is true and what is agenda-driven communication. Politicians and social justice warrior public health officials take advantage of the public’s lack of knowledge.
Here is a statement by Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski (from VTDigger): “Look no further than the Covid-19 pandemic, Small said, to see how Vermont needs these kinds of measures: higher rates of illness, higher rates of hospitalization and a higher rate of death among people of color than the general population.”
Regarding Vermont, that is an absolutely false statement: highest COVID death numbers and rates are in white, non-Hispanic people. Yes not by much, but 96% of all deaths (from VT Department of Health dashboard) involve white, non-Hispanic individuals and since white non-Hispanic individuals represent 94% of the population, the conclusion is inescapable.
The fact that 241 of the 251 deaths for which race and ethnicity are known (1 death has no association) are in white, non-Hispanic people does not appear to matter to many elected (and sadly public health) officials who seem to be focused only on “systemic racism” and what they declare as health care disparities in POC.
Perhaps I am biased but I think the fact that 96% of all COVID deaths have been in white, non-Hispanic Vermonters should be treated as more than a footnote in the COVID epidemic in Vermont… but that is how those deaths are treated… at least in commentary by politicians and public health officials in the public domain.
The author is a retired University of Vermont professor and South Burlington resident.
Cover photo credit CDC.gov.