Editor:
There is no doubt that we are living in very complex times and society is being divided in many ways. I felt so saddened by the “Open letter to friends” which was published in the Sept. 16th edition of the Optimist and which was understandably based in extreme fear. I’m so sorry that the writers feel that their friends need to have a medical intervention in order to remain their friends.
At a Jan. 28, 2020 press conference Dr. Tony Fauci, Director of the US Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases stated very emphatically “The driver of outbreaks is always a symptomatic person.” He further added, “Even if there is some asymptomatic transmission, in all the history of respiratory viruses of any type, asymptomatic transmission has never been the driver of outbreaks.”
People with no signs of being sick, according to Dr. Fauci, do not spread respiratory viruses, therefore, it’s irrelevant who you associate with provided they are not sick.
As a retired health care professional, I would like to suggest a more measured approach include, hand washing, staying away from sick people, staying home if you are sick, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of fresh air, exercising regularly, having a social life and if we so wish, taking a vaccine. Living in fear, isolating ourselves and not living a healthy lifestyle can only lead to a greater risk of sickness. As long as your friends are healthy, there is no reason to fear them.
In difficult times we need to uplift each other and show love, tolerance and understanding, not degrade or abandon people because they make a choice about their body that you don't happen to agree with. There are varying reasons people make choices about all sorts of things including medical interventions. I don’t believe that anyone makes the choice not to take the COVID vaccine on a whim, but have researched before making their decision.
We should be helping each other navigate these challenging times together rather than creating division or discriminating whether it’s based on the colour of our skin, political affiliation, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or personal medical decisions.
Susan L. Blake
