LETTER: How did we get here?

Some of our “lockdown” policies for the COVID-19 virus have had devastating affects on our physical and mental well being. These aftershocks are referred to as unintended consequences. Don’t you believe it! We’re acting as though we have no “model” for reference.

Every time any school is closed, whatever the reason, those of us on the bottom step of the ladder always pay the educational price; and now, the personal health price. It extends far beyond the schools.

What about the single parent, who is not a teacher? This person has had to arrange for the school-age children in the home, so their regular job can be attended. We’re being told that “normal” will return, once enough people either get COVID outright, or get inoculated, so that we together form a “herd immunity”.

Our example should be what we did in the late 40’s and early 50’s with the polio vaccine. Jonas Salk perfected it. The inoculation for smallpox was cowpox. It’s so similar to smallpox that we haven’t had another outbreak.

They didn’t close the schools. In fact, a school is a perfect arena for an exercise such as vaccinating everybody from 5-to-17. This is “focused protection”.

However, for COVID, we need to be focusing on Grandma; and on Aunt Glenda; and on Uncle Joe. Those who, through the years, have developed underlying problems: asthma, diabetes, heart trouble, and like that.

Closing everything down so grandma had trouble getting her lunch delivered didn’t help her. For this, we should be trying to minimize mortality and social harm, by allowing those who have a minimal risk of death to live a normal life and gain an immunity to the virus by natural infection. Just keep them away from grandma, as you would with any influenza. This is focused protection.

Nursing home and hospital staff who become infected, should do the same. Those are places with a heightened awareness for sanitation. So very little would change. No. Sick staff members do not work. Sick clients stay in their own rooms until well.

I’m not sure how we got here. The test for COVID is free. I get tested every 2nd Tuesday at 8:50 at the fire department close to where I work. I got both shots and continue testing. But beyond that, if I’m even a tiny bit under the weather, at any time, nobody sees me.

Have any of you ever seen me sick? No! I don’t come out if I’m not well. Not ever.

Have you thought about it? How DID we get here?

Esther Ramos
Logandale