Letters to the editor — Sept. 8, 2021

Stay united, stay safe

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we remember the horror, destruction and terror of that day, and how Americans put aside differences and united in a way that they hadn’t since Pearl Harbor in 1941. Political allegiances didn’t matter; we united together against terrorism, resolute in rebuilding lives and property shattered that day.

We face another enemy now, COVID-19 and its variations, an enemy that can be vastly reduced if we put aside divisiveness and political beliefs to work to eradicate it.

Eradication comes through vaccination and masking. Neither are political statements nor a sign of party allegiance. They are a way out of a virus that has ravaged our country for the past year-and-a-half.

People say they won’t get the vaccination because it is too new, too untested. The vaccines were able to be developed so quickly because of years of research into similar viruses. If that research hadn’t been available, the vaccines would not be there for us now.

It isn’t just the unvaccinated population who get COVID who are suffering. Hospitals and clinics are being flooded with COVID patients —mostly those who have chosen not to be vaccinated — while needed surgeries and procedures are being canceled to make way for COVID patients. What about their rights, suffering and pain?

Find it in yourself to step out of hardened beliefs, do your part to reduce and eradicate COVID and allow people suffering from other health issues access to needed medical services.

Please get vaccinated and mask up!

Susan Hamman

Sequim