Ok, I need
to rant. And no, it is not about politics. My rant is about everyday people who
seem to forget history, or perhaps never studied it to begin with.
Beginning in
the mid-1800’s, Polio was responsible for sickness and death in the world
population. Here in America, as many as 15,000 people were infected each year;
although most did not die, the lingering effects of paralysis permanently damaged
lives and affected common well-being. It was not uncommon for families to be quarantined
as a whole because of a case of polio; nor was it uncommon in the 1940’s for
entire U. S. towns to be quarantined to prevent the spread of the virus. Travel
was restricted between “infected” communities and the rest of the nation.
Children were frequently kept from playing outdoors because they might encounter
someone carrying the virus. (Does any of this sound familiar?)
Two vaccines
were found to be effective, one in 1955 and one in 1963; the United States (and
a large portion of the rest of the world) began a vaccination program targeting
school age children, and later included pre-school children. Some of you may
remember the sugar cubes, often administered in schools.
Net effect:
in the 1970’s, less than 10 cases of polio were reported in the United States.
Polio is now considered eradicated world-wide, except for Afghanistan and
Pakistan, which are still at epidemic levels.
So, what is my
rant?
People who
refuse to take this current pandemic serious. People who refuse to follow the best
science and medical advice. People who still insist that this pandemic is not
real, or that people are not dying of Covid-19. People who refuse to wear
masks, who refuse to observe social distance, and who insist on gathering in
large groups, particularly unmasked. Leaders who refuse to acknowledge just how
serious this is.
In the space
of one year, we have lost more Americans to Covid-19 than were killed in combat
in the 4 years of WWII.
Is that
serious enough for you?
Do not tell
me that this was all dreamed up so President Trump would not be re-elected. And
please do not tell me again that wearing a mask or washing your hands interferes
with your “God-Given Rights as An American Citizen.” To be totally honest, I do not think for one
minute that the release of the vaccines was held up to embarrass then-President
Trump.
Frankly, I do
not wear a mask to show support for one political party or another. I wear a
mask to protect myself, my family, and yes, you.
I get it.
We are all
tired of this COVID-19 stuff. We are all tired of wearing masks, etc., of our
favorite restaurants not being open. Tired of not being able to spend time with
friends and family like we want. Tired of our children and grandchildren being
schooled online, of not having play time with their friends. Tired of being
unable to have our social interactions, our clubs and groups, our churches.
But think
about this for a minute. We are almost to a point of getting this virus under
control. The vaccines for Polio took decades to develop, and 30 years to reach
herd immunity; but the Covid-19 vaccines have been developed in the space of a
year. Current predictions have the United States at herd immunity in a year.
Let us buck
up, America. Stand up and do the right thing. Wear the mask, wash your hands,
and do not get too close. Get the shots when they are available.
If you
believe your ancestors are watching you from afar, make them proud. Let us
show them that America can do this, together. As Americans, we have stood together
in times of national crises before and come out the better for it. It is time
to come together and do it again.
Thank you
for reading, and as always, your comments are welcome.
R. M. “Bob”
Hartman