Top doctor attributes 1 million U.S. COVID-19 deaths to "human stupidity": report

Photo taken on Feb. 24, 2021 shows the U.S. flag, Texas flag, and Plano city flag lowered to half-staff in front of Plano Police Station in Plano, northern suburban city of Dallas, Texas, the United States. The United States reached the grim milestone of half a million coronavirus deaths on Feb. 22, 2021, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. (Photo by Dan Tian/Xinhua)

"It's mind blowing," says Joseph Varon. "I can't believe that we have lost a million people."

NEW YORK, May 11 (Xinhua) -- As the United States nears the grim milestone of 1 million coronavirus-linked deaths, a U.S. pulmonologist reflected on what the country has done to counter the pandemic and found that such a huge loss was caused by its failure to fight "human stupidity," reported Reuters on Tuesday.

Two wars were fought during the pandemic - one against COVID-19 and one against stupidity; so far, "I think that I have won the fight against the coronavirus. I think I've lost the fight against human stupidity," said Joseph Varon, chief of critical care and COVID-19 at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas.

"The reason why we have lost a million people in this country is because of that fight against human stupidity. I can tell you that the number of deaths that we will have would have been much more smaller if people just listen and do the right thing, (and) if they have a little bit of common sense," he was quoted as saying.

"It's mind blowing," added the doctor. "I can't believe that we have lost a million people." Varon has been counting the days since his COVID-19 unit began treating patients and posting photographs of the number to his social media accounts. That number now stands at over 780.

COVID-19 infections are rising again in the United States, and around 66 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Most U.S. states and localities have eased mask and vaccination requirements. During the coming days, various trackers of the COVID-19 pandemic will reach 1 million U.S. deaths, according to the report.