Virus data: Focus on seniors clearly indicated

There is an old proverb that says “In God we trust. All others bring data.”

I am a 72-year-old Pierce County resident who is watching this COVID-19 crisis closely.

A quick look at the Pierce County Health Department’s COVID-19 Dashboard reveals that about 90% of the deaths are people age 60 and older who have pre-existing conditions.

The same database indicates only 20% of people in the county are 60 and older.

It should be clear to everyone by now that the government response should be targeted at this group and not the 80% of the people under 60 years of age.

The government’s shutdown of local economic activity is an overreaction. Hindsight is said to be better than foresight. Having said that, the government should not lock down our lives again if the existing data holds true in the future.

Action should be taken to target the groups most affected. Taking a shotgun approach is doing more damage to people’s lives than necessary.

This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 7:52 AM with the headline "Virus data: Focus on seniors clearly indicated."