One inch compared to 145 ft.

Laguna Beach Independent February 5, 2021

Imagine my surprise when I watched the evening news last week and saw the following: A physician who displayed a sheet of paper for each COVID patient he had lost in the last 30 days. His stack of paper was one inch thick.

For the past several months, I have been urging people to look at the bigger picture, not just one doctor’s photo. Today, with over 440,000 COVID-related deaths nationwide, that one-inch stack of paper would stand 145 feet in the air. If you’re having trouble wrapping your arms around how tall that is, it’s almost half as high as the Statue of Liberty. For local sports fans, it would be like standing next to 14 basketball hoops attached one on top of the other at Main Beach.

Every COVID death is one too many. I wonder if there ever will be a monument erected to honor all those who have died?

-DF