Fly Well: ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’

The movie’s title entered common parlance, illustrating the totality of any situation, so let’s apply it to COVID-19: the good; the bad; and, sadly, the ugly.

The Good. That’s easy: international scientific collaborations characterizing the virus, developing diagnostic tests, building vaccines, initiating clinical trials, and finessing treatments, all at warp speed. And to be clear, there is plenty of international collaboration: Advancing the Oxford vaccine involves a British university; a Swedish company; the United States’ National Institutes of Health and its Rocky Mountain Laboratories; and trial sites in the United States, Britain, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, and Russia. In the movie, Eastwood’s character agrees to share the gold with Tuco, the ugly, but restrains Tuco so he can make his getaway. To quote President Ronald Reagan: “Trust, but verify,” a phrase Reagan used during nuclear arms negotiations.

The Bad: Playing the bad guy, “Angel Eyes,” came easy to Lee Van Cleef. For our current situation it’s hard to know where to begin, as there are so many bad guys. COVID-19 spread around the world like wildfire; if someone sneezes in China, someone in Chicago catches a cold. We must embrace the good and engage in polite discourse; challenge thinking, but do so respectfully. For instance, emerging data implied those with darker skin pigmentation fared worse from this disease. Knee-jerk reaction suggested socioeconomic factors were to blame, when it is possibly because of low vitamin D levels—in other words, a biological cause, just as West Africans are less likely to contract severe malaria. All humans can learn and benefit from each other.

As I write this, more than 1.1 million people have died from the novel coronavirus, more than 220,000 in America alone. Many will have so-called “long Covid”—enduring fatigue and malaise. Sadly, countless people will suffer more serious sequelae such as cardiac and neurologic problems. The economic devastation to commercial aviation, hospitality, and many other sectors (except debt-relief companies) will take years to recover.

The Ugly: Tuco was played by Eli Wallach, “The Rat.” Viruses that cause human disease often start in animals and “jump” species: MERS from camels; SARS, and the current virus, likely from bats; a reservoir of myriad coronaviruses with the potential to cause human harm. The Wuhan “wet markets” have been implicated as a source for the pandemic—a place where multiple species that do not mingle in nature are thrust together, including humans. We must rethink our interactions with the animal kingdom, or eventually a virus will arise that is as easily transmitted as that causing COVID-19 but much, much more fatal. The first SARS epidemic killed about 14 percent of those infected; MERS exterminated 34 percent, and Ebola slaughtered as many as 90 percent of those infected. Think about that.

We need to learn the lessons and remove our egos from the equation while we await a potential vaccine. And that is no sure thing. Please accept the measures that my medical colleagues advise, including hand washing, social distancing, and wearing masks. My father used to say that if something looked like a conspiracy it was probably just error; humans are not as Machiavellian as one might think and, let’s face it, very few secrets are not eventually leaked. There is no conspiracy, no hidden agenda, I personally know people who have died from this disease. It is very real and very nasty. Our future demands we collaborate; be cautious, yes; verify, yes. But without collaboration, without trust, it is not a matter of if but when a pandemic will hit that could decimate the population in biblical fashion.

Ennio Morricone’s haunting score to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly features a tune called “The Trio” as Blondie, The Rat, and Angel Eyes participate in an iconic standoff. The Bad dies, killed by the Good, and the Ugly is put in his box. We need to do the same.

This will be my last Fly Well column in AOPA Pilot magazine, although I shall continue to contribute to the online newsletters. Thank you for your interest over the years; it has been my privilege to serve you and I hope you have found my scribbles helpful. Please stay safe, stay well, and fly well.

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