They call it the “silent killer” and it is doing just that to those who catch a severe case of COVID-19. At first, they look normal when they first walk in. Unless someone is looking at the oxygen saturation levels (which should be above 90% at the least), there is no sign that silent hypoxia is taking place. But it is. One minute they are sitting normally talking and the next they are collapsed on the floor in severe respiratory distress. Then they are put on a ventilator where most will die.

The transmission mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is well-known. It moves through the air from an infected person, who may not even know they are infected, to an uninfected one. Then, about two weeks later, the newly infected person shows signs of infection. Of 100 people who become infected, about 81 will have mild to moderate COVID-19 and recover. Fourteen more will have a severe case and require hospitalization and five more will become critically ill. Using the current information (as of 23 April 2020), out of those 100 people, two or three will die from COVID-19. Age, race, and pre-existing conditions seem to dictate who will suffer the most, but there are some who are young and healthy who die from COVID-19. Those are the facts as we know them today from the U.S. medical community.

Governor Lee and many Tennessee Republican legislators, taking their cue from Trump’s administration, are confident that reopening most of Tennessee on 1 May presents an acceptable risk. Looking at the severe economic distress created by the need to mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they decided that we are better served by lifting the lock-down that successfully reduced virus transmission. After all, Trump did support demonstrators who, small as they may be, screamed in a loud voice to “free” us from this lockdown. But they are wrong.

It is too soon. There is no vaccine for SARS-CoV-2. There is no cure. While, for instance, a nursing home today may have no signs of the virus; the next day may bring a very different picture. A person who tested negative today may test positive tomorrow. When an infected person is walking around without social distancing, they can infect multiple people and thus create a “hot spot”.

We can reopen Anderson County someday. Using the criteria carefully spelled out by the CVC and Vanderbilt University, it is possible to begin this process as soon as the virus is more controlled. Until then, the Tennessee Republican legislators and Governor Lee are placing us all at great risk. The IHME model, used by the White House for COVID-19 policy formation, recommends a gradual loosening of the lock down no earlier than 20 May. Why not listen to data/scientists/public health officials to reopen Tennessee to keep us all safe instead of placing us at greater risk of infection and death.