OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Not out of the woods | Parties responsible | They were complicit

Not out of the woods

During the past many months, covid-19 has wreaked havoc among our personal and business lives. Probably someone you know has died, and others you know have become ill due to covid-19.

We are now entering what might be the worst of the outbreak, the dreaded surge of cases resulting from the increased social interactions over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. New cases are up, hospitalizations are up and, yes, so are deaths, in almost if not every state in the nation.

With the release of vaccines, the wind may be at our backs as we move toward normalcy, but now is definitely not the time to relax. Wear your mask. Avoid those who do not. Minimize exposure to marginal conditions. Tough? Yes, as "marginal conditions" essentially include any and all indoor proximity to anyone!

Beware kids especially. Mask-wearing is hardly enforced or even required for children, yet children are just as likely as adults to contract covid-19. However, despite infected children often experiencing minimal or even no visible symptoms, their ability to spread covid-19 is as high as an infected adult.

Yes, Virginia, this might be the final wave, but it is now time for you, me, and everyone else to buckle down to survive the last mile. To quote the late great Yogi Berra, "It ain't over till it's over."

KEVIN KERR

Rose Bud

Parties responsible

I hold the two major political parties responsible for where we are today. Back in 2015, The DNC chose Hillary Clinton to be their candidate and ignored all challengers. And the RNC bowed down to the bully Donald Trump and assumed Clinton would win the election because of her qualifications. But no big surprise, Clinton was disliked by so many and Trump spurred the groups of anti-government and pro-conspiracy factions into joining the Republicans' causes.

Most surprising to the Republicans, Trump won and the Republican leaders had to make a deal. Protect Trump from his misdeeds and they will get whatever the party wanted. Ergo, the end justified the means. But like with any wild animal, the keepers lost control. Now the wild animal is running around destroying everything within its reach while the keepers stand by, scratching their heads and cleansing their hands.

Shame on all of the greedy hands and power-hungry egos in both parties!

DAVID BURROW

Fayetteville

They were complicit

Trump may have lit the match, but the firewood was supplied by every senator and representative who failed to defend the integrity of our election against Trump's false claims of a rigged and stolen election, even when state officials vouched for the security and validity of their election and no court sided with the claims of fraudulent results.

It's time for those complicit in the travesty of Jan. 6 to admit they were wrong to allow the perpetuation of this dangerous assault on our most fundamental democratic principles, and apologize to our president-elect for not acknowledging his legitimate win right away.

SHARON DONNELLY

Fayetteville

Deploy nurses to help

The covid-19 pandemic is one of the greatest challenges our country has ever faced, but there is hope. We now have effective vaccines that can prevent the disease from spreading and save hundreds of thousands of lives here in the United States alone. As a nation, the challenge before us is to ensure that a critical mass of people across the country receive covid-19 vaccines, and that they are given promptly, safely, and equitably to high-risk populations, including the most susceptible and most vulnerable.

The reasons for the delays in getting vaccine to our population are many and include issues such as vaccine and storage availability, inadequate planning and communication about vaccination opportunities, but also lack of trained staff to administer vaccines. We offer here a solution to this last challenge: nurses--trusted health-care professionals.

All nurses are licensed to give shots. Public health nurses are more broadly trained and have a proven track record in the planning and implementation of immunization campaigns. Nurse educators in schools of nursing train students to administer injections, and their students welcome the opportunity to practice their skills. Retired nurses have a wealth of experience and expertise to offer. With minimal just-in-time training necessary about the unique guidelines for managing covid-19 vaccine distribution, they can be quickly mobilized to achieve the new president's goal of 100 million by May 1.

Nurses are well-equipped to partner with others and follow established guidelines on vaccine distribution, to organize the immunization registry process, to assist in the coordination and set-up of administration facilities, to address recipients' questions and concerns, to help educate the public, and to give the injections.

Nurses can get those vaccines out of freezers and into arms!

ZENOBIA HARRIS

Little Rock

Zenobia Harris is president of the Association of Public Health Nurses.

Safety and security

The family owned a beautiful dog they had raised from a puppy. They loved the dog. The dog went with them everywhere. One day, the dog began nipping at the grandchildren. Though chastised, the dog's nipping progressed. One day, he bit a granddaughter hard, breaking the skin. Without hesitation, the dog was removed for the safety and security of the family.

Trump's nipping progressed too far, harming the very country that loved him. He must be removed for the safety and security of our country.

DENESE ESTEP

Sherwood

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