I’ve written about the crushing misery that is extended unemployment.
One thing that made it bearable for me was that after a buddy was laid off some years ago and watching what he went through, I made sure I had six months of savings put away which helped cover me during my unemployment.
I know that I was privileged that I could afford to put some away every month and build up a reserve. Many people don’t have that ability.
It’s no surprise to me then to see this news:
Calls to Some Call Centers that Manage Helplines are up 300% amid coronavirus
The stresses around COVID-19 are causing mental health calls to skyrocket.
FirstLink, a local company that answers the 211 helplines and National Suicide Prevention Hotline, says call volume to some call centers are up 300% nationally
In 2017, the last year we have data, there were 47,000 suicides.
If you make the assumption that the ratio of calls to suicides is the same now as in 2017, then an extended shutdown and protracted unemployment could let to near 150,000 suicides.
That is more than double the 60,000 Coronavirus deaths projected by the models and more than six times the current number of 24,000 Coronavirus deaths.
If the reaction to the Coronavirus results in more people taking their own lives due to stress than dying of the virus itself, there will be hell to pay by the decision makers.
This cannot be allowed to happen. We must reopen ASAP.
Trump made this point (without the specific numbers) a while ago, at least a month if not longer. I don’t remember any discussion of it at the time. I didn’t have any understanding of the numbers as you quoted them, but even without that it seemed clear his point was valid.
In addition to the suicides…
How many more “cancer-related” deaths will we see, since cancer treatments and surgeries have been deemed “non-essential”?
How many more obesity-related deaths, since gyms are closed along with many healthy-eating establishments, while drive-thru fast food is still widely available?
How many more heart attack deaths, because people suffering heart attacks are choosing to not go to the ER for fear they are overcrowded with COVID-19 patients? (They aren’t, but the MSM isn’t reporting that.)
How many more drug overdoses, when people can’t work, can’t pay their bills, and can’t cope with being cooped up, but still have access to illicit substances? (And also can’t get to the ER.)
I think when the dust settles, the increased non-COVID death toll will exceed the COVID death toll by an order of magnitude, and the people will demand a reckoning of TPTB.
“I think when the dust settles, the increased non-COVID death toll will exceed the COVID death toll by an order of magnitude, and the people will demand a reckoning of TPTB.“
Of course there will be. There will be a congressional investigation and Congress will determine that Trump murdered all those Americans by shutting down the economy and they will move to impeach him again. Never mind their own actions. This will be following the impeachment for being to slow to start the shutdown and not being authoritarian enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump is impeached by Congress three more times before November, twice for the things I mentioned and once more for something else stupid.
This will expose the many weaknesses we have as a society without a doubt. From balancing on a razors edge of preparation and mainting just in time stocks to keep within the budget and make the accountants happy in many industries to how little the average person is prepared to do for themself due to negligence or circumstance either of these of own making or outside their control to the stress and strain that exists in many families for many reasons.