It sometimes feels that we are in a debate about personal freedom versus our social responsibilities. I hear people say that vaccines are a personal decisions but the failure to get vaccinated affects society as a whole.
For example, hospitals in Alabama, one of the least vaccinated states, have had to turn away people in need of medical care. Ray Martin DeMonia, a resident of Cullman, Alabama, suffered a cardiac emergency. He died after local emergency staff contacted 43 hospitals in three states in search of a facility that could care for Mr. DeMonia. He was finally transferred to a hospital in Mississippi, some 170 miles away.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) issued a “Crisis Standard of Care” for hospitals in their panhandle. This crisis in Idaho is now affecting hospitals in the state of Washington. Hospitals in Spokane, Washington, are putting off surgeries to remove brain tumors and other elective surgeries.
While we have personal freedoms, we also have a personal responsibility to each other. The science is clear – masks work and vaccinations work. Let’s work together to end this pandemic and open up society so we can all be safe and enjoy social gathering.
