Base reopening on COVID-19 hospitalizations

There is a huge mistake being made in equating the number of cases of COVID-19 to the number of positive tests. This can lead to a grave error in getting the economy restarted.

The statement is made all the time that we must see the number of cases (positive tests) declining to advance opening of businesses. Horribly wrong.

We are in the process of increasing the number of tests we are doing which will increase the number of cases (positive tests) even if the actual number of people with the virus is staying the same or even decreasing. For example, suppose the number of people with the virus is remaining constant. If will we double the number of tests the number of “cases” will appear to have doubled when in fact it has not. This could lead to reclosing of business or not opening others.

The most reliable statistic to use is the number of hospital admissions, which is proportional to the number of actual cases of the virus in the community.

There are two considerations: One is reopening businesses, the other is preventing spread of the disease. They are two different things. As I said above the statistic to use for reopening businesses should be hospital admissions. The statistic to use to prevent spread of the virus is testing. These two goals should not be confused.

H. Thomas Milhorn, MD, PhD

Meridian

Professor of Family Medicine, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (retired), University of Mississippi School of Medicine

Barbers trained, practice safety

About barbers and cosmetologist not being able to work: a lot of people do not realize the training and schooling that one of these professionals receive. They are highly skilled professionals with barbers having 1,500 hours of training, and so do a cosmetologists.

I have been a barber for over 50 years full time and I know the business. We know what to do and how to do it, be safe, take care of out customers and our self and consider the public.

These are times of change and the wise man will do so, let us lead with courage, compassion and wisdom.

A lot of people don’t realize this but barbering it is a dying profession. Cosmetologists are becoming your barbers, but they are two different schools and approaches to the art and craft that is barbering.

If we are not careful, by keeping these shops closed they could be pushed over the edge and not come back.

How many like the idea of home hair cuts or buzz cuts?

Robert P. Gray

Meridian