Don’t want COVID vaccine? OK, but don’t ruin WA’s reopening or someone’s life | Editorial
The best news we’ve heard in over a year came Thursday when Gov. Jay Inslee announced that Washington state is scheduled to fully reopen on June 30.
But while this is an exciting development, it does not mean COVID-19 is going away.
The worst thing that could happen is for unvaccinated people to let down their guard, forego their masks and forget about trying to protect themselves against the disease.
Consider what happened last April in the rural community of Republic in Ferry County.
Dinner and music were part of the indoor fun sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Unfortunately, the event turned into a COVID superspreader nightmare that infected about 10% of the town’s population — 106 of the roughly 1,000 people living there.
Businesses had to close or reduce hours in the aftermath because so many people in the town were sick. In addition, the outbreak overwhelmed the small, local hospital and claimed one person’s life.
Less than one-quarter of residents in Ferry County were vaccinated at the time, according to health officials there.
What happened at the Eagles event in Republic should serve as a warning to those who refuse to get the vaccine, but who still want to ditch their masks and join packed restaurants and bars and get back to our pre-COVID lives.
We understand those who don’t want the vaccine believe they are taking their own risks — and it’s all on them.
But the reality is that it’s not just on them. Their decisions to take those risks can affect others, causing unintended harm and even death.
Also, if too many unvaccinated people end up getting COVID once Washington’s economy opens up, the governor could easily shut the state down again — or particular regions of the state.
That certainly will affect more people than just the unvaccinated.
June 30 is the target date to get back to normal, but it doesn’t end the state of emergency. Inslee said that if statewide ICU capacity at the hospitals reaches 90%, activities will have to be scaled down again.
Fear of COVID patients overwhelming hospitals has been a major concern since the pandemic began. After the outbreak in Republic, patients had to be sent to hospitals in Yakima and Wenatchee because there was no room for them locally.
Getting more people vaccinated against COVID is the key to returning to our normal lives.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who don’t trust the vaccine and refuse to get it — and nothing will convince them otherwise right now.
So it is up to the rest of us to help slow the spread of the disease. To those folks who intend to get the vaccine but haven’t yet, we say make the time as soon as possible.
On another note, an effort that needs to be stepped up is reaching out to the Latino community in Benton and Franklin counties. A recent Tri-City Herald story revealed that many Hispanics want the vaccine, but they are having trouble getting access to it.
Currently, Latinos in the Tri-Cities area are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at about half the rate of non-Hispanic whites. But a recent survey by the Latino Center for Health at the University of Washington found that the low rate likely isn’t because Hispanics in the state are hesitant to get the vaccine.
Since that’s the case, more needs to be done to bring the vaccine to them.
A vaccine booth set up recently at a grocery store in Pasco was a great idea and it helped vaccinate many people who otherwise have had trouble getting to one of the vaccination sites. More outreach like this is needed.
The disease will be with us for a long while, but as a community we can hinder its spread.
If you haven’t already, roll up your sleeve and get your COVID shot. And if you don’t want the vaccine, please be smart and protect yourself — and others too.