Editor’s note: Wausau Pilot & Review gladly publishes commentary from readers, residents and candidates for local offices. The views of readers and columnists are independent of this newspaper and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wausau Pilot & Review. To submit, email [email protected] or mail to 500 N. Third St., Suite 208-8, Wausau, Wis. 54403.

Dear editor,

We seem to be in the midst of two pandemics. While the rest of the world deals with the COVID virus we are also dealing with an extensive outbreak of Dunning – Kruger syndrome. 

Psychology Today describes the Dunning-Kruger effect as “a cognitive bias in which people wrongly overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills.”

The very reason to rely on the experts is because they have spent they’re lives investigating and learning about the topic in which they are an expert in. After all, you wouldn’t go to a surgeon for a nasty skin rash.

India is experiencing a massive outbreak because they don’t have the privilege of having enough masks nor the ability to socially distance as those in this country can.  Because of the lack of the ability to maintain the mitigation protocols allows the virus to not only spread but mutate. 

The truths about COVID I’ve learned from epidemiologists and immunologists: 

  • We can be sick with COVID and spread the disease without even knowing we are sick because we can have the disease without symptoms which is known as being asymptomatic. 
  • Masks work to prevent the spread of COVID because as the virus leaves the body when we exhale it attaches itself to larger moisture droplets which are caught by the mask. 
  • Maintaining social distancing helps by avoiding any virus that escapes the mask. 
  • The vaccines developed to fight COVID have been vetted by the FDA and are much safer than getting COVID. 

We are all experiencing COVID fatigue but COVID fatigue is so much better than getting COVID.  Wishing it were different or cherry picking “facts” from the internet don’t change the real facts. 

Jane Rusch, Wausau