To The Reader’s Forum:

I sure wish I could understand some people’s refusal to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. None of the rationale for refusal stands up to any scrutiny. Regardless of where Covid originated, the world is affected, thus it’s called a pandemic. It’s a medical issue, not a political one. Therefore, if you refuse a proven vaccine, and/or masks for political reasons you apparently don’t understand a pandemic at all.

There are only a few ways to medically deal with a pandemic caused by an airborne virus – masks, vaccines, treatments and distancing, whether by mandate or by choice. You also should know that “science”, until theories are proven, can be confusing, but the methods of dealing with a pandemic have proven successful. In other words, scientists, doctors and others who deal with pandemics have to prove, or already have proven success. That’s especially true with vaccinations for eradication of communicable childhood and adult diseases as well as the Covid vaccine.

Thus, if you trust scientists, doctors and other medical workers with your general health, it makes no sense, healthwise, to not trust them regarding Covid. If you trust those same people with mandating your children to be vaccinated to attend public school, it makes no sense to distrust mandates, especially temporary ones, to get through the Covid pandemic.

Of course, there will always be exceptions to rules we have come to understand and close scrutiny generally produces reasons why. However, as with all medical situations, medical practitioners normally follow proven protocols and are constantly trying to find better solutions. The whole process of evolving medical science can be confusing, but original confusion generally leads to better results. The same process holds true with the evolution of specific Covid medical issues.

Covid-19 will, hopefully, disappear or at least become much more manageable, but the way things are slowly moving “too many” people will have died or suffer both short-term and long-term complications in that time. We also should not forget how the medical care service industry is adversely affected. I also hope that more people will come to understand that Covid is a medical, not political issue and will respond with medical practices that we know work. Your and my life depends on following science and medicine.

Paul L. Demler

Jamestown