Mr. Crimmins argues in “Leave the Scaring to Halloween” (The Times Record, Oct. 30) that because Maine has a low number of covid infections, we can relax and not take as many precautions. He claims we don’t need to worry about it. An indication of our success as a state is precisely that appearance of success. It looks as though we have beaten COVID, and the more successful we are in controlling it, more pointless it seems to remain under restrictions. Unfortunately, we haven’t beaten COVID. Maine’s numbers remain low only because of the measures we are taking. If we
relaxed our guard, the numbers would quickly go from 80 new cases (on Oct. 29) to thousands. The virus is very contagious, and growth is exponential. If each active case infected just two other people, 80 becomes 240, 240 becomes 720, 720 becomes 2,160, then 6,480, 19, 440, and so on, within the space of a few weeks.

Mr. Crimmins also seems to assume that if one doesn’t die from COVID, there are no harmful effects. That isn’t accurate, either. Consider another virus, the one that causes chickenpox. That lives on in the body for years, emerging again as shingles. We have little or no idea what the long-term effects of COVID may be. We already know that in some people, its debilitating effects can linger on for weeks or months. It can also be a singularly unpleasant disease to be infected with, as Chris Christie found out. A week in an ICU on a ventilator is not my idea of a good time. Be patient, folks. Mr. Crimmins is correct in one regard. It won’t last forever. Wear a mask in the meantime. It’s a small annoyance that yields great benefits for everybody.

Steve Wellcome,
Brunswick