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Readers Speak

A shot to be free

Dear Editor,

I don’t understand why some people say that fighting a deadly pandemic with the weapons we have, vaccinations and face masks, is a loss of their freedom. Ironically, they are our tickets to freedom; the very things that will keep schools and businesses open by helping to curb transmission of COVIE-19.

When we became vaccinated, my family and I felt free for the first time in over a year. That great freedom is being taken away, however, as those who refused to join in the fight allowed the original COVID-19 to spread and mutate into the much more contagious Delta variant, just as experts predicted.

So now we who are vaccinated have a greater chance of getting a breakthrough infection and passing it to others. Because of this we need to wear masks in indoor public places again, which I will certainly do, to protect those who can’t get vaccinated because of a medical condition or young age, as well as those who have been vaccinated but are in life-threatening danger because of compromising health conditions. I have close family members in those categories. I’m not worried about myself, thanks to my vaccination. I’m very worried, though, about unvaccinated and unmasked people allowing more dangerous and vaccine-resistant strains to develop and spread. I believe the freedom of people to do as they want should stop when the result can detrimentally affect others.

I only wish that everyone would follow the recommendations of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. They are advocating for face masks, including in schools to protect all those mentioned above, and COVID-19 vaccines for everyone eligible. I have always trusted them and their doctors with my and my children’s lives, following their guidance gratefully. I’m sure I don’t know better than they do. I’ll continue to do whatever I can to help put this terrible disease behind us.

Cindy Bowley,

Barnes

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