This Pandemic Is A Three-Legged Beast

There are three limbs to the epidemiologic triangle — not one.

It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken, and the wisest might err.

Mahatma Ghandi

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

David Staples could scarcely contain himself last Friday.

“Albertans have triumphantly answered one huge question about our response to COVID-19 with a grand slam home run,” the Edmonton Journal columnist proclaimed. “We have proven that we’re wise, diligent and responsible enough to drive down infection rates.”

“Albertans haven’t just flattened the curve,” he enthused. “We have steamrolled it and chucked it down a big hill.”

Fair enough, I suppose. The impact of the lethal coronavirus has been far less than feared in my province. Unlike the traumatized citizens of New York City, Montreal, London, and elsewhere, we haven’t been forced to climb the front side of a steep, arduous bell curve of infections.

By all means, take a bow, my fellow Albertans. We’ve played our hand well.

But it must be said that the hand we were dealt was a very good hand indeed.