Just the Facts, Please

Jeff—Saturday

If one more person tells me how much at risk I am to Covid-19 because of my age I’ll SCREAM.

[Silence]

Thank you, all, for being respectful of my age. 

I have never thought of myself as old, in mind or body.  Self-delusion can be a good thing.  But with the constant barrage of breaking news, video clips, and graphs all warning about the dangers facing the elderly—prominently defined to include me—one fitting that description might actually begin to think he or she’s at risk.

That's me, fourth one on the right.

I’m very happy with my age, and have no wishful longings to turn back the clock, certainly not to the Spring Break Brigades bashing beneficent boundaries, by bewilderingly bouncing bunched between beaches, bars, booze, bongs, beds; bestowing breathtaking brotherly betrayal big-time.

Nor to the politicians and business folk who allow their beaches and bars to remain open for purposes of profit over people.

Not that any of this is unexpected…after all I live on the world’s #1 party island…but you’d think such me-first animal instincts would be tempered by an animal virus that threatens us all.

Sadly, these days it appears that’s far too much to hope for.

Though I sincerely appreciate all the words of caution and kind deeds of so many well-meaning souls directed my way, if I had to keep hearing the same blanket warning to the elderly over the next four weeks or eight weeks or twelve weeks or…well, let’s not think about that…without an explanation as to why, I knew I’d go mad.  OK madder.

So, I decided to call a doctor friend who’s an expert on pandemics—a true expert, but one who’s identity I cannot reveal without his permission—and ask him a question that I’ve never heard anyone ask of the many experts on TV and radio. Namely, “What is it about being elderly that makes them as a group so vulnerable to the virus?”

His answer was simple, and accompanied by a laugh.  “Jeffrey, remember when you were younger—back at the dawn of time—when all those athletic [and other] moves came so simply, and how different your gait and muscle tone were then than now?”

I gave a whimpering, “Yes.”

“Just as all that’s changed, so has your immune capability.”

“Huh?”

“When a healthy baby’s born, the baby has six times the amount of immune protection it needs to fight off infection.”

Why did I think I knew where this explanation was headed?

“By the time baby reaches your age, there remains only twice that capacity. And should you happen to have an underlying condition that calls upon that capacity, when you're hit by an infection such as Covid-19, you may not have enough defensive immune capacity to fight it off.”

I said thank you—he’s older than I—and promptly followed his other advice. “Go hunker down somewhere isolated from the rest of the world for a period of .…"

I shall not tell you how long he said, because I think he just wanted me to finish writing my new book. At least I hope so.

Anyway, now that I know the score I’ll do what has to be done. Like most folks, all I wanted were straight answers.

Thanks, Doc.

—Jeff

PS.  Happy Birthday, Son. Love you.