Recently, a neighbor became ill and went to the emergency room. He was admitted, but stayed in the ER for two days because of COVID hospitalizations.  Across the country approximately 90% of these patients are not vaccinated and these admissions are preventable. Patients with illnesses that are not preventable are left waiting in the ER or sent to other hospitals.

Another effect of these unnecessary COVID hospitalizations is less emotional, but very real. The huge increase in medical expenses due to these preventable admissions is costing all of us tens of millions of dollars each month. These admissions are easily prevented. Again, most hospitalized COVID patients are unvaccinated.

In Maine and around the country, nursing homes are experiencing a resurgence of COVID infections in their clients due to infected employees who are not vaccinated.

Each day more Maine school districts are going back to some sort of “shutdown” for the safety of the children and employees. These students will have unnecessary setbacks in their education. In other parts of the country where these safety measures are not being used, increasing numbers of  children are being hospitalized and some are dying. Again, much of this disruption of schools is preventable.

American Democracy is a wonderful combination of individual freedom balanced with a strong sense of Americans protecting our nation in a unified way. COVID is robbing all of us of our freedom to learn, work and socialize in safety. It has killed more Americans than all wars in last 150 years. Against this terrible enemy, we have a very good, well-proven defense: vaccination.

We sincerely ask our neighbors and all fellow Americans to get vaccinated for the sake of our children, our neighbors and themselves. Please get vaccinated.

 

Drs. Margaret and Michael Griffin

Oakland

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