Another tragic statistic to get out of the pandemic

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There have been more than 39 million cases of Covid-19 in America since the beginning of the pandemic. The virus has killed more than 640,000 of our fellow citizens.

The sheer magnitude of these numbers makes it difficult for us to contextualize ourselves properly. The enormity of what we have lost is a challenge to turn our arms around.

That’s why this headline stopped me when I found it today at the Fargo Forum:

Yes, you read that right. One in 500 North Dakota residents has died from Covid-19. It has not been infected. He died.

Here’s the math: North Dakota has had more than 1,560 people killed by Covid-19. And according to the 2020 census, its population is 779,094. So divide 779,094 by 1,560 and you will get about 500.

What is even more remarkable? North Dakota is not the only state where this figure of 1 in 500 is true.

Florida, Michigan, Ohio and South Dakota have also lost about 1 in 500 of their residents to the coronavirus. New Jersey has lost 1 in 346 residents to Covid-19.

Four of those six states, all except Michigan and New Jersey, are run by Republican governors. And in South Dakota and Florida in particular, their governors looked at national positions in 2024 and used their let it go approach to Covid-19 as a curriculum vitae reinforcement.

The point: Take a minute today to consider what it means to lose 1 in 500 people (or 1 in 346) in your condition to this terrible disease. And expect terrifying figures like these to convince more people to get vaccinated. It is our only hope to further prevent death and loss.

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