Lack of strategy in COVID fight
Because of their strongly held beliefs, some conservative Republican voters are refusing to get vaccinated. In response to this, Republican legislators are dialing back COVID behavior edicts so that their core members won’t be inconvenienced. With the new variants of COVID now circulating, the latest scientific data reveals that there is already a surge in new COVID cases and there is also an increase in the percentage of unvaccinated people who are dying. I don’t know of any study that supports my conjecture, but it seems to me that there aren’t any proficient chess players in the legislative chairs occupied by members of the Republican Party.
Rick Cohn
West side
Don’t deny care to unvaccinated
It is surprising how many have suggested that people not vaccinated for COVID-19 be denied medical care or insurance coverage. We have enough problems in this country regarding access to affordable health care, without imposing restrictions based on choices made out of ignorance.
Like many, I am angry with people who have no legitimate excuse to remain unvaccinated during a public health emergency. However, a humane society should not make access to medical care contingent on whether people make bad choices about their health.
The best that can be done is to impose vaccine mandates in some contexts, such as health care settings, fight against misinformation, and find ways to persuade people to make reasonable choices based on the latest science.
Flo Lemke
Midtown
Dangers lurk in wilderness
Re: the Aug. 4 article “Deceased hiker’s impact lives on.”
The fatal accident of veteran hiker Alexander Lofgren should remind those venturing outdoors how serious any trip should be taken. Not everyone enjoying nature has been in Scouting, attended wilderness survival training, has military experience, or watches hours of TV survival shows. Even a short trip to a designated National Park takes planning, some basic gear, water/food, and even being mentally prepared.
On a hike or camping trip, the weather can change or any number of accidents can happen so be prepared to keep calm and think clearly about what’s going on around you.
Be willing to terminate a trip before a situation gets worse. If you’re in trouble and fortunate enough to be near your vehicle, there’s no need to wander off from something that can be located far easier than an individual. Your vehicle should be equipped with shade material and other supplies in case you need to stay there for some time.
Owen Rentfro, Army Reserve medical corpsman and EMT instructor
Midtown
Make housing more affordable
Re: the Aug. 1 article “Allowing new casitas on residential lots helps homeowners, community.”
Jonathan Hoffman correctly touts add-ons in housing. He notes that no one builds $500,000 units with $100,000 units. That’s the key. Gentrification never stops. It’s math. For average families to remain, some units must not gentrify.
Condos at $150,000 will sell out fast, and at a profit, with enough floors in a mid-rise if Tucson requires them be sold and resold to average earners, mostly. Rooftop units can gentrify to help cover costs. Affordability agreements work in trusts across the U.S.
A janitor buys for $150,000 but later can’t sell to the rich, but only to someone on a janitor’s salary, still at a fair profit. Buyers are happy, since they’re priced out of Tucson otherwise. Yes, Tucson can have $150,000 homes, if Tucson has the backbone to require them. They’ll be room enough left for our gentry. It’s fair.
Troy Deckert
Marana
Advances needed in care for aging
Re: the Aug. 4 article “Long-term care in need of a reboot.”
I am a RN with 49 years of experience and over 30 years as a lay caregiver to my late mother.
It is now a time for a call to action. We are living longer but not preparing properly to care for the aging. The current pandemic has shown us how at-risk our elders are in the current long-term-care facilities. The question is are we willing to face reality? The change must involve our educational systems.
Ruth Sanders
Arivaca
Gov. Cuomo was a ray of comfort
Re: the Aug. 5 article “Cuomo has been arrogant, brash for years.”
Nicholas Goldberg called Gov. Andrew Cuomo a “bully” and “pugilist.” He wrote that he has not seen Andrew Cuomo for 26 years, but “he does not appear to have changed much.” Lucky for me and the rest of us living in NYC when the pandemic hit. In April 2020, after I was released from the Lenox Hill COVID quarantine ward in Manhattan, I spent the next three months recovering in my Bronx apartment. Every day at noon I watched Gov. Cuomo’s noon address to New Yorkers. He spoke with conviction and courage even as tens of thousands of people were dying weekly; so many in NYC that their bodies were stored in refrigerated vans or buried in mass graves, or burned. I had never been a fan of his before, but those thoughts fell away as he gave me courage to fight on and be able to see my grandchildren again.
Yes, thank God Gov. Cuomo was a bully. He was our bully. Let history remember that.
Karen Papagapitos
Northwest side
Don’t shackle drug companies
As a pharmacist, I’ve seen countless patients struggle with their insurance coverage. Clients arrive at the counter almost every day eager for their medication, only to leave frustrated that they’re again shouldering the cost.
There are talks in Washington, D.C., to impose stricter rules on the pharmaceutical industry. But why would we punish the very sector helping bring this pandemic to an end? Just a year ago, we had almost no hope of a recovery. We barely understood COVID-19, and cases were starting to rise at terrifyingly high rates. Now, with biopharmaceutical innovation, we have vaccines that will ensure that this disease will soon be behind us.
We have to remember: These vaccines were also built upon decades of science. Not allowing companies the ability to conduct research today could affect patient care for generations. I encourage and will applaud the efforts of Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly when they stand to protect Arizonans from all walks of life who need lifesaving medication.
Eden Malki
Foothills
