COVID Controversy

I'm here to tell you that I have zero answers. Let me explain.

I am a closet science freak/geek. I love the sciences, but I have to have proof. If, in my research I come against conflicting information, I keep going until I have overwhelming evidence one way or the other. COVID is an enigma.

See, I can find research that will tell me that it's more dangerous than the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic that killed so many. Or that the Swine Flu pales in comparison to it's numbers.
On the other hand, I can also find research that says that the chances of contracting it are .02%.
Both of these are from reliable sources. However.

When I go back to the same research a week later, it shows different statistics. So, who am I to believe?

The CDC and Dr. Fauci says not to wear masks. Then they say to wear masks. Then they say that masks are dangerous to your health if worn too long. Then they say that masks are important.

By the same token, the stay-at-home orders must be taken seriously, but then again, we're seeing an uptick in the number of cases of those who obeyed the stay-at-home orders.

Stand six feet apart so you won't contract the disease. Oh, by the way, droplets can travel 10 feet.

You can contract COVID by touching your shopping bags, boxes from Amazon, or shopping carts, make sure you sterilize them and/or wear gloves.

Oh, don't wear gloves, you're just spreading the contagion.

The half life of the disease isn't as bad as we said it was on surfaces...you have minimal risk of contracting it from surfaces. My bad.

Go get tested, oh, wait, the lines are so long and we are running out of test kits. Don't go tested if you aren't symptomatic, oh wait...you should get tested even if you aren't displaying symptoms. Uhm, you should get tested to see if you have antibodies...you know, we can't test all 300 million people in the US. All 300 million should be tested.

There will be a vaccine by the end of the year. Nope, it takes 12-18 months. Just kidding, there's a certain billionaire that has this in development and wants everyone to have the vaccine and not have a choice in rejecting it. Oh, wait, you have freedom of choice, some people can't have the vaccine...Uhm...well...

It was because someone ate bat soup...no, you're wrong, it was manufactured. Nope, it was research that got out of hand in Wuhan, no, it's biological warfare.

It mutates faster than anything known to man. Psh! What mutation?

It can cross species. No it can't, it's not the right type of pathogen.

It's a conspiracy theory. It's the real deal.

GADS!!

I will tell you, makes my head hurt and could give you whiplash on how fast they change their minds. Now, I get it, immunocompromised and the elderly have a higher risk of contracting the disease. And don't get me wrong, this thing is brutal, it doesn't play nice, but the common cold could wipe them out just as well. My oldest daughter is immunocompromised, and she has for the most part been relegated to the house, with very few outings, including church. By default, so have I, but, because there is so much conflicting information out there, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I've done my homework on the mask thing, the "social distancing" and the like, so I think I have a good handle on it, but in my life, Murphy's Law has a habit of coming to visit. So, we wear masks when out. We sanitize our hands while we're out, and wash our hands when we can or when we get home.
Still, my science liking mind wants to know the statistics, the ins and outs, and for the life of me, I can't find overwhelming evidence either way...they're pretty much equal.

So what now? Well, I find myself leaning more on God and His protection. I pray for wisdom when my daughter goes out of the house, should she stay in the car or can she go inside? I watch the news, both sides, and try to determine who's reporting facts and who is doing the fear mongering. I haunt the CDC and Mayo sites, trying to find some sort of information that agrees with the other. What I'm finding is that the internet is pretty much an abyss that you can get lost in but if you want to, you can find enough evidence, albeit probably false, to agree with your mindset.

So, this is a quandry. What to do? I guess I just keep on keeping on, doing my best to discern what is best for us. Do we wear a mask and risk the implications of the C02 issues, or do we do without and risk being infected? Do we social distance, or do we just throw caution to the wind? Do we stay at home, or wander out? Are we compromising our immune system by staying indoors, or do we take the chance and go out with ((gasp)) people. Sorry, a little joke there.

Like I said, I don't have the answers to any of this. I probably never will. I will, however, continue to trust that God has my, and my family's best interest in mind, and He will guide me and grant me the wisdom I need to go forward. I know I will take a good portion of what the media has to say with a grain of salt, and go looking for corroborating evidence to back up their claims if I haven't seen the facts or heard them for myself from the horse's mouth. I'm going to try to be smart about this, and trust in the faith I have that God will get us through this, no matter what.