Getting COVID-19 vaccine shouldn’t dictated by politics, but your own personal choice
Vaccine
This week Jon Rahm unfortunately experienced a result of his choice. It’s not about the money he “might have won” or the title “he might have received” or Fed Ex Points “he might have earned;” it was about a result of a choice.
Whether old or young, of any race or religion, any political party, you have a choice, too. Jon was a symptomatic with his positive COVID-19 test. He’d been in the company of someone who had tested positive, rolled the dice and unfortunately lost. How do you know whether you, too, have been in the company of someone with COVID-19?
Getting vaccinated isn’t symbolic of who you are, but who you want to be. You want to be the one that protects those loved ones around you. From grandparents to grandchildren, and everyone in between. You want to protect that grocery story clerk, the nurse at the doctors office or the pharmacy technician. How about that first responder you need in an emergency?
Take just a minute and think about why you should get vaccinated. Today’s your day to make that choice and not have to experience the heartache that others have felt because of their choice.
Carolyn Kassel, Hardeeville
Community issues
The monthly price of this newspaper is increasing, while we see decreasing content. Advertising revenue has obviously decreased. However, there are honest attempts to present balance on issues addressed in articles and cartoons on the Opinion page. Coverage of local news has consistently included political, business, health and education issues, as well as community and arts events. This is essential for a community newspaper and I commend your editorial and reporting staff.
I believe the most important issues for Hilton Head Island are how we, as a community, are going to handle residential and business development, traffic, transportation, infrastructure needs and climate change while maintaining our beaches and waterways. Quality of life is being drastically threatened by increasing population accompanied by disregard for native island culture, historical preservation and workforce housing and compensation. These issues must be considered by the community as a whole, not just paid consultants. A true community undertaking could prove to be the way to salvage and strengthen our community moving forward.
Jenifer Gajdalo, Hilton Head
Inspiration
There have been so many tough stories of pandemic business closures. I want to share a positive story.
I have one storefront and am opening another. We began with a little girls’ clothing line, sewing at my kitchen table with my mother’s hand-me-down sewing machine.
When COVID-19 hit, Instagram and Facebook were literal lifelines for us. It kept our local, loyal shoppers engaged, but also attracted new customers. This was an effort we put a lot of energy into. And it was an effort that created no additional overhead.
I can’t tell you how inspiring it is to be able to say we made it through the pandemic, thanks to these tools. Our hope is that when you are challenged, you keep in mind that innovation, creativity and adaptability — and leveraging the tools we have around us like Facebook and Instagram — can make all the difference in the world.
Rachel Loomis, Beaufort
COVID-19 origin
The Wuhan Institute of Virology is appropriately more in the news since it is critically important, for reasons well beyond the obvious politics in play. As we get closer to the truth, we find there was “gain-of-function” research likely being undertaken. In a lab fully under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, why would anyone attempt to modify a virus so as to make it far more contagious while being far more lethal to the infected person? Words are important. The euphemism of “enhanced function” should be taken as in the realm of biological warfare. This term lacks a certain political correctness, but it does connote how serious this matter has become and the idea of a weaponized virus that accidentally infected humankind should concern us deeply.
Charles P. Duvall, Hilton Head
Editor’s note: The theory that COVID-19 was accidentally released from the Wuhan Institute of Virology has been gaining credibility, but the origin of the virus is still unknown.