COMMENTARY: Heavy-handed governments need to trust public when it comes to virus

Las Vegas city officials recently closed the Mrs. Nevada beauty pageant to guests for violating Gov. Stev Sisolak’s COVID-19 occupancy rules — even though guests were seated six-feet apart and wearing masks. The same regulation limits attendance at religious services to 50, when other operations such as casinos — which use the same social distancing and mask-wearing protocols — can host 10 times as many gamblers.

As a physician, I believe state and local leaders have made arbitrary decisions and are going overboard in their enforcement of ever-changing rules. There has to be space for individual freedoms and personal responsibility. Shutting down peaceful events and even taking down the basketball hoops in local neighborhoods is not necessary.

Whereas all citizens should take the virus seriously, we are long past a quarantine to flatten the curve, and there is no end in sight to government overreach. Instead of focusing on common-sense approaches such as encouraging people to wash their hands, social distance and wear a mask to limit viral spread, our leadership insists on enforcing excessive, irrational protocols that promote unnecessary alarm. Government fearmongering has very real consequences that ripple throughout society.

Not only will continued hysteria prolong the chilling effect on Nevada’s economy — notably our billion-dollar tourism industry — but the health and education of residents continues to take a hit. I’ve seen the needless fear firsthand at my dermatology practice. Would-be patients have stayed away for months, delaying what would have been easy solutions had they come to our clinic earlier.

For example, a 14-year-old patient was diagnosed with a severe hand dermatitis because of his COVID-19 anxiety that caused him to obsessively wash his hands. He was also scared to leave his house over fears of contracting the virus. Another patient of mine neglected her melanoma over a perceived COVID-19 threat rather than receiving treatment for a real medical disease. Now she has an invasive melanoma because she was too afraid to venture to the clinic.

The consequences of fear-stoking are tragic, especially given that COVID-19 does not pose a big threat of death or long term morbidity to the vast majority of Nevada residents. Yes, the number of confirmed cases continues to rise, but that rising number should not be the focus — especially because an uptick in viral cases is to be expected as more people get tested and re-engage with society. The spotlight should instead be on COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations. On both fronts, COVID-19 reality fails to measure up to the gloom-and-doom headlines.

To date, over 1,200 Nevada residents have died with COVID-19, but more than eight in 10 of those deaths involve people older than the age of 60. Meanwhile, no deaths have occurred in people under the age of 20. Nationally, more children die every year from the seasonal flu than COVID-19.

Every death is a tragedy, but the clear correlation between age and severity of symptoms gives state and community leaders the opportunity to protect older residents, as well as those with underlying health conditions. All while giving the vast majority of Nevadans the green light to resume near-normal behavior. Sadly, our government is focusing on COVID-19 so much that it fails to give as much attention to historically much larger killers in Nevada such as heart disease and cancer.

Hospitalization data similarly provides a cautiously optimistic outlook of the virus’ severity in Nevada. It’s important to ensure medical facilities are not overwhelmed with patients. To that end, nearly 40 percent of ICU beds remain unused and state hospitals in general are running at roughly 75 percent occupancy — only one-fifth of which are COVID-19 patients.

It is past time for the government to allow Nevadans to take it upon themselves to follow common sense protocols to limit the spread of the virus and protect vulnerable populations.

Some state and local rules take it a step too far, which unnecessarily fans public fear and bridles our economic recovery and health. It’s time to alleviate the fear around COVID-19 and give Nevadans the freedom to choose to live their lives.

— Dr. H.L. Greenberg is a board-certified dermatologist and a partner of the Job Creators Network Foundation.