Letters: As pandemics go, sobering COVID statistics could have been much worse
Having one million deaths in the U.S. caused by COVID is absolutely horrible, and the effect on all those who have lost loved ones is devastating. It is no consolation for anyone affected, but it is not the worst pandemic we have experienced.
In 1918 we had about 675,000 deaths due to the Spanish flu; but we had a population of 103 million, less than one third of what we have now. Also, it fell very hard on children and young healthy adults between 20 and 40 years of age.
My father was an army officer stationed at Fort Devens (Massachusetts) and he told me that the hardest job he ever had was going down to the train station to tell folks that their sons, brothers or husbands had died. Losing a parent is always a very sad moment, but losing a child is infinitely worse.
Loren K. Seeley, Jacksonville
Gratitude goes a long way
It was good to see the May 15 letter that expressed gratitude to American's public workers. We seem to forget the folks that pick up our garbage, yard waste and recycling. As I was thanking one of these workers recently, he told me he had worked all through the pandemic and appreciated being thanked.
Like all of us, he wants to be appreciated.
This is what I see lacking in Americans now — gratitude for all the benefits we have. Protests just divide us more, so instead of that, do something good. Get involved with the community and give your time or money to the cause that matters most to you.
Let’s start each day by counting our blessings. Near the top should be living in America.
Sonja Harpe, Jacksonville
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Letters: Sobering COVID statistics could have been much worse
