Time to pull together
Our health care system is about to be maxed out by all the unvaccinated persons catching this Delta variant. Just this past weekend, Lt. Gov. Josh Green was working up in the Kohala Hospital ER. A patient came in with a heart attack. He had been vaccinated. The issue was there was no bed available for him due to the huge surge from the Delta variant, which 98% of those admitted are unvaccinated – taking up needed beds. Totally preventable. It took several hours to locate a bed in a hospital.
We are looking at the potential of no care for those with health emergencies due to this overwhelm. This is so sad and also our health care providers are being stressed to the limit.
The answer: Everyone wears masks, social distance, don’t go out if you are sick, and get vaccinated if you are not. This Delta variant has changed the playing field. The original COVID was able to infect one to two persons. Now the Delta variant can infect up to eight or nine persons! Very transmissible. This is real, this is not made up. We all need to be respectful of each other and be aware that our inactions and actions do create a ripple affect … maybe preventing someone from getting needed medical attention … resources are stretched. Please kokua!
Helen Behrmann
Ka‘u
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Perspective
Can we please have some perspective on this COVID Delta variant mania? This letter will likely just quell my own frustration because I doubt West Hawaii Today will print it. It doesn’t follow the party line of panic: “Oh no, the Delta variant is out of control!” Renewed mask mandates and draconian vaccine mandates have been imposed, for the public good, of course. Yes Gov. David Ige is now forcing all state and county workers to get the COVID vaccine or face termination. What would you do if you had years on the job and were looking forward to a pension and retirement? Be terminated or be forced to take the vaccine? That’s not a fair choice.
Consideration for the psychological and societal repercussions is being sidelined. Increased suicide and the injury to children muzzled or out of school is well-documented. Creating an us/them division between Americans who are vaccinated and thus permitted to participate in society, and the unvaccinated who are now the scourge of the Earth is not good for America or Americans.
Please consider this. Even though case numbers are greatly increasing, deaths are not. I repeat, deaths are not really increasing. And the statistics blasted over news, radio and in a bright yellow banner on the front page of West Hawaii Today constantly, are scaring people. An increase from one case to two cases the next day is a 100% increase. Scary right? I realize the daily case count is more than an increase of one, but statistics are being shaped to create unnecessary fear. More people are dying from the normal complications from diabetes than from the Delta variant. We have to get back to our lives, kids need to be in school without masks, and we have to get out from under the thumb of government that is so reticent to yield any power.
Mikie Kerr
Waikoloa
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