Common sense, not fear needed during pandemic

This letter is in response to “Vaccine should go first to those who trusted the process” by Fred Lewis, which appeared in the Dec. 10 issue of the Vauxhall Advance.

For someone who claims to believe in science, your letter was neither rational nor logical. First of all, you claimed that you remained virus free because of all the precautions you took. I am quite sure that of the 80,000 people to date that have tested positive, there were at least SOME of those who also followed guidelines. And yet, they still got sick. Sometimes things happen, no matter how “careful” you are. There’s a saying about taking heed if you think you stand, lest you fall…

Secondly, you claimed that those who did not follow the restrictions “imperilled those who are not ready to die”. You do realize, don’t you, that COVID is not the only thing people can die from, right?

In fact, looking at the numbers from 2019, you are almost three times more likely to die of dementia, more than twice as likely to die of heart disease or lung cancer, and more than just as likely to die of a heart attack as of COVID. We all know that death is inevitable; we just don’t know when it will happen. Maybe we should focus as much on being prepared to die as on trying to prevent it.

It is not that we do not believe in COVID, or do not believe in the “science behind disease avoidance”. It is that we realize that we can’t let the fear of what might happen tomorrow rob us of the beauty of today. Certainly every person should use common sense during this pandemic.

Believe me, I have been washing my hands, staying home if I didn’t feel well, and staying away from people who might make me sick, or whom I might make sick. The ironic thing is, I was doing all these things long before COVID was even a word. I just didn’t allow fear to rule every decision I made this year. You have wasted a whole year giving in to fear, while I have many wonderful memories of the year 2020.

Oh, and don’t worry about me cutting in line in front of you to get the vaccine. I will leave that for all the people who panic-shopped for toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and hand sanitizer.

Susie Fehr