Good morning, everyone! Today I want to touch on a topic or two that are the center of much discussion and . During the onset of the pandemic there was much fear and hysteria surrounding the Covid-19 virus. All we really knew for sure was that for the elderly and the immune comprised it was potentially fatal. Death came alone without friends or family near to comfort the dying. I lost a brother to Covid early on and I was concerned enough to get the vaccine as soon as possible. In fact, most folks I knew wanted to get vaccinated ASAP! Mandates were soon issued to try and prevent, or at least slow, the spread. While many of us locked down in fear waiting for the vaccine, others became incensed over the mandates and held out. People even lost or quit their jobs in defiance. I dare say that if Covid-19 caused serious facial scarring and disfigurement we could not have produced the vaccine fast enough! Fortunately, the mRNA vaccine technology had been in development for decades. Within 9 or 10 months we had three major companies making an effective vaccine.

But since many of us refused the vaccine due to reasons ranging from infringement upon their liberty to bad reactions (which may have occurred in a tiny subset of the population) as a country we failed to reach the 70% threshold needed to achieve herd immunity. Since many people refused to be vaccinated or were waiting for the CDC give approval for their age group, we resorted to mask mandates to protect the vulnerable segments of the population. Part of the insidiousness of this virus is the high number of Asymptomatic cases. Many people just didn’t feel sick, although they could infect others who might die. Even after I was vaccinated, I did not feel safe visiting my 91 Y/O father without a mask, as he chose to remain unvaccinated. Holidays were missed, older family members isolated and fearful, with folks continuing to die to this day.

The results are mixed regarding masks, vaccines and mandates. Proof of vaccination, along with masks, were required to attend many indoor and outdoor events and lots people removed their masks as soon as they sat down. I was livid when the unmasked guy next to me at a Husky football game turned and coughed in my son’s face! He was not the only one to remove the mask either. Probably 25-30 thousand people refused to wear masks at most games I attended.

So, my questions are these: what good are mandates when they are summarily ignored? Politicians, while well intentioned, took big political risks to support the mandates, but did they go too far for too long? Is the CDC the final arbiter of public health or not? Should Dr. Fauci and his family be subjected to death threats because he believed in and followed the science? Since the mandates had early bi-partisan support, should one party bear responsibility more than the other? Were the lives saved as a result of masking up and vaccinations worthwhile? What would you have the CDC do different when this happens again? All legitimate questions we should consider….