As a physician, I am dismayed the COVID-19 healthcare problem has been tossed into the political arena. Americans are dying, and critical decisions must be made to manage this disease.

When I make a medical decision, the repercussions can be immediate, and judged by whether the patient lives or dies.

When elected officials make a decision to utilize masks, separation, isolation or a vaccine to halt the spread of COVID-19, repercussions are not always immediate and can be judged later at the voting booth.

Because the coronavirus does not survive well in summer heat — it is already 90 degrees in our valley — Mother Nature could decrease COVID-19 spread, giving us a false sense of statistical security before it rises up again in winter.

Ironically, Mother Nature might be a deciding factor in the November election. Should it remain warm through election day, it could benefit the president, diminishing the virus. But if we have an early winter with colder temperatures, the virus could proliferate, boosting his opponent.

Mother Nature might get a vote this year, but I’d rather have her stay out of the political arena.

Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D., is a geriatric house-call physician who serves as president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults and Assemblyman to the California Senior Legislature. He has practiced in the Santa Clarita Valley for 32 years.