Opinion: Now is a time to come together to stop the spread of COVID-19
To our community:
Thank you for doing your part in fighting COVID-19.
We see your sacrifices and thank you for following recommended guidance regarding masking, testing, and social distancing to help keep each other safe.
Your willingness to get vaccinated is helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 to yourself and your friends, loved ones, and community members.
We know the pandemic has tested your patience. Hospitals, emergency departments, and outpatient clinics have been overwhelmed with extremely sick patients and there have been times when even getting through our phone lines has been challenging.
We’ve seen rising hostilities and violence towards people working to limit the spread of the virus—both inside and outside of hospitals. We ask that our community come together and respond with grace and tolerance during this time.
We are all tired to the point of exhaustion. Many of us are angry and have experienced significant loss and trauma over the past two years. However, we still have the capacity to express compassion for our neighbors and loved ones by caring for one another.
Please help us as we usher in 2022 amid another COVID-19 surge.
We continue to care for very sick COVID-19 patients in our hospitals, and getting vaccinated could have prevented many of these admissions and deaths. This influx is leading to needless suffering and risks for patients with cancer, strokes and other serious conditions whose care has been delayed due to a lack of beds and resources.
The term “Heroism” has been used during this pandemic to indicate skill, willingness to sacrifice and show strength when confronted with physical and emotional hardship. In our eyes, everyone fighting the pandemic is a hero.
Be part of our hero team—get yourself and your loved ones vaccinated and boosted.
Mask, test, and isolate when sick with COVID-19. Extend kindness and patience to the healthcare workers doing their best to care for you and your loved ones.
Be willing to be a hero.
Visit ourshot.in.gov to make a vaccination appointment at your earliest availability.
Jim Laughlin is a pediatrician with Riley Physicians and board member with the IU Health South Central Region.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Opinion: Now is a time to come together to stop the spread of COVID-19
