I know I should be so far over this, but tonight I& #39;m again reeling at the number of people who think my concern over the COVID-19 pandemic arises from some kind of radical leftist ideology.

I& #39;ve spent the last 20 years studying emerging infectious diseases and planning for a moment I hoped would never come. My preferences regarding 1M+ deaths vs. shutdown may be ideologically grounded. My expectations for the pandemic trajectory based on data like these—that& #39;s not.

Thank you to all for your support and encouragement. I want to stress that while a month ago I was finding this hostility to be emotionally taxing, I& #39;m mostly past that.

My fear tonight is for how we can solve the collective problem this pandemic poses while we so badly divided.