When President Mike Hoare asked me to write a piece for this issue on the COVID-19 pandemic, I objected saying that I was not an expert. On reflection, I realize that we have all become experts on the pandemic, not only from living through it, but also from the information constantly being given to us. I offered to write about my struggles trying to understand the numbers that are presented daily, in ever enlarging red dots. It is no surprise to conclude that these numbers mislead us in many ways. This article does aim not reduce our fascination with the numbers but it might teach us simple ways to glean the lessons behind them.