Amy Acton, MD (Northeast Ohio Universities), Master of Public Health (THE Ohio State University), and the Director of Public Health for the state of Ohio, resigned last week. Her reason was sound: the effort of managing Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic were so great, that, as she said, “…it wasn’t a sustainable thing,” (Cleveland).
Ohio’s Response
Dr. Acton led Ohio’s response to COVID-19. The state got out in front of the pandemic, closing public events much earlier in March then most other states. This prevented “super-spreader” activities like the Arnold Classic in Columbus or the State high school sports tournaments; large events that would increase mass infections. New Orleans, for example, suffered significantly from the Mardi Gras celebration, held just a couple of weeks before.
Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine listened to Acton, and Ohio did well for the first months of the crisis. Ohio ranks seventh in population in the US, but currently is twelfth in the number of COVID-19 deaths (California, ranks seventh in deaths with double the fatalities). The shutdown in Ohio was real. Folks stayed mostly at home, and followed the advice of DeWine and Acton.
Acton took the heat for stopping the March 17th primary election in Ohio, after the Courts reversed DeWine’s cancellation. The idea of standing in line to vote while the state was under quarantine defied common sense, but critics from both political extremes were more worried about setting precedent than the medical facts. It was the first of many public health decisions that would gain Acton a lot of political heat.
Too Successful
DeWine, a Republican Governor, stood firm with Acton until the middle of May. But somehow the pressure finally reached him, as, like the President, he began to listen to his economic and political advisors more than Acton and the medical field. Re-opening the economy became the paramount objective, and those health concerns that seemed so important in March now seemed to fall to the wayside.
Acton’s success in stifling the spread of COVID-19 was the reason for her ultimate demise. Ohioans did so well, they began to believe there really wasn’t an epidemic at all. The cries from the far Right and Left, encouraged by social media promises of dark conspiracies to take over the world and by Mr. Trump himself; all became too much to ignore. The fact that picketers showed up in front of her family home in the Columbus suburb of Bexley also made it clear to Acton that she was a personal target (Cleveland).
Eyes Closed
So Acton, while remaining an “advisor” to the Governor, is gone. And with the Federal response muzzled (when was the last time Doctors Fauci or Brix appeared) America is moving on, eyes firmly closed.
There seems to be a political or regional divide in the state. Go into the city, and most folks are wearing masks, and seem aware of social distancing. Head towards the suburbs and the “masklessness” grows, and crowds grow closer. In the more rural areas, a masked person looks “suspect”, and personal space doesn’t seem to be an issue.
In my far suburb, with corn growing in fields nearby, I stood in line today in Advanced Auto. Of the fifteen people in the store, I was the only one wearing a facemask. The signs to “maintain social distance” were ignored. It’s the same in the local restaurants and bars, where folks are carrying on “normal life” as if Corona was only a Mexican beer.
I drove by a community baseball park yesterday. The stands were packed and the concession area crowded. The little kids kicked dirt on the multiple fields or talked on the benches in the dugouts. It was vintage suburban Americana: from a not-long ago era when there wasn’t a virus.
I want to, “Go down to the demonstration, to get my fair share of abuse,” (Stones). At least most of the protestors there are wearing masks. But it still could be another “super-spreader” event, regardless of the worthiness of the cause. And whatever Mr. Trump says he believes; his lawyers know the truth. To attend his rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma (now on June 20th to avoid the “Juneteenth” date) a legal waiver of possible COVID-19 infection is required (Trump).
Real Numbers, Real Costs
My non-believing friends (and I do have many) tell me to look at the US numbers: “we have crossed the peak and are headed down the slope,” they state confidently. But look at individual state graphs, minus the New York City metro area. They show that we did manage to flatten the peak, but remain steady in infections and deaths. We should anticipate that, with the increase of inter-action, that number would increase as well (do a Google Search – graph of Ohio COVID numbers).
That will become even worse by ignoring Dr. Acton’s advice on masks and social distancing. She made the ultimate “mistake”: she did her job too well. Many Ohioans stopped believing. I hope the price she has to pay in her career, and the price we will have to pay in Ohio lives, won’t be too high.
