Steven Watson’s Dec. 11 Herald Forum essay asks for patience with the unvaccinated and no assumptions about motives (“A plea for consideration for the unvaccinated,” The Herald, Dec. 11). Yes, I understand, if you know someone who has had an adverse effect from the vaccination, that it could be frightening. No matter that many sources of information attest to the vast difference in chances of death from vaccine vs. chance of death or hospitalization from covid.
Watson was proud of skepticism about broad assertions “when emotions, money, power are involved.”
What is exasperating is that the unvaccinated, who are not immune compromised, take away the choice factor for those of us who would like to increase our chance of staying alive for now.
Asymptomatic people with covid can spread it to others. At this point, 1 in every 100 persons over 65 in the U.S., has died from the virus. Our rate of death is three times more than that of Canada, 11 times that of Japan, according to Reuters.
In the last month, I have found out that a couple people I trust, were in close contact with me, unmasked, and unvaccinated. Were they considering me and my right to life?
Watson implied several times that the economic outcomes of this pandemic year are due to imbalanced public health measures taken. How balanced would a family’s economic outlook be if their breadwinner dies of covid or has persistent covid? The U.S. has passed 800,000 deaths from this disease. Yes, the risk of illness is greater in different areas, due to fewer vaccinations and poor public health measures!! More than 90 percent of Snohomish County covid deaths were among the unvaccinated. Their hesitancy has caused a huge crisis to get worse.
The crush on the health care system is causing those who need non-pandemic-related care to have to wait for procedures.
I do not care what your motivations for not getting the vaccine have been up to now. Please consider your family, loved ones, friends and neighbors and get vaccinated! We need our citizens to be healthy.
Rebekah L. Gibbons, retired RN
Everett
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