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Show Viewpoints The A-13 Park Record. Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, March 21-24, 2020 editorial In a time of uncertainty, look for ways to lighten the load B guest editorial Do your part during this crisis. The lives of many depend on it. ERIK SNYDER Park City I first heard about COVID-19 from a friend with ties to the government back in January. His message to me was clear and ahead of its time: “Pay attention to coronavirus. Do not travel unless you have to. This is going to turn into a big deal.” Having worked in a prior life as a consultant for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), I am acutely aware of pathways of viruses and deadly pathogens that lead to pandemics. However, as a healthy middle-aged man, I know the risk to me is minimal and I largely ignored the warning. Three weeks ago, I was in San Francisco and two weeks ago I found myself in New York City and Boston ... all locations where the virus is widespread today. I rationalized my decisions with the same arguments I hear daily: total number of deaths is less than influenza ... the symptoms are mild unless you are immunocompromised ... the mortality rate is low... I write this to share what I’ve learned: My individual mortality is not the right metric. The measure should be around the health of the immunocompromised, elderly and medical professionals who are risking their lives. The measure should be virus transmission rates and my contribution to it. It is unconscionable that I played Russian Roulette with my elderly neighbor’s life because I wanted to attend a nonprofit gala in New York City. I write this to openly own my mistake. I am not judging any decisions that others make but rather creating what I hope to be a call to action. We have an opportunity to pull together as humans and put one another first. Now that we have our first case of community spread COVID-19 in Summit County, from a server at an establishment in the middle of Main Street, my hope is that we can all collectively come together to slow the virus’s spread in the community we love so much. To be clear, I was ignorant to the science and risked being complicit in the disease’s spread by my cavalier approach to non-essential travel. And given my background, I should have known better. According to the World Health Organization, the “incubation period” (or the time between catching the virus and beginning to have symptoms of the disease) for COVID-19 ranges from one to 14 days, most commonly around five days. That means that for up to 14 days after catching the virus, we could be un- The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Alexander Cramer Ryan Kostecka Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair Copy Editor ............................ James Hoyt Engagement Editor............. Jeff Dempsey Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Distribution........................... Henry Knight ADVERTISING Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Advertising Sales ................... Jodi Hecker Lindsay Lane Sharon Bush Director of Digital Marketing .. Tina Wismer Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production ......................... Louise Mohorn knowingly spreading it. Further, the transmission of the disease seems to be spreading easily with cases doubling every five days. Consider the Novel Coronavirus Infection Maps specifically for Italy, France and the U.S. created by Humanistic GIS Lab at the University of Washington. Based on the science and very simple assumptions regarding transmission: Every infection we prevent today has the ability to save 2,600-plus lives in three months. Further, it can prevent at least 10 times as many hospitalizations. The exact numbers should not matter; you can use any transmission and mortality rates you choose. ... I would just posit that regardless of the probability or assumptions, the inadvertent death of any of our neighbors is an unacceptable outcome that we share responsibility to avoid. The best way to avoid transmission and slow the coronavirus is social distancing. It is why schools are moving to virtual lesson plans and why businesses around the world are having people work from home. For those of us who are able, we have a moral and civic duty to do our part. As outlined by primary care physician and public health leader Dr. Asaf Bitton, “Our health system will not be able to cope with the projected numbers of people who will need acute care should we not muster the fortitude and will to socially distance each other starting now. On a regular day, we have about 45,000 staffed ICU beds nationally, which can be ramped up in a crisis to about 95,000. Even moderate projections suggest that if current infectious trends hold, our capacity (locally and nationally) may be overwhelmed as early as mid-late April. Thus, the only strategies that can get us off this concerning trajectory are those that enable us to work together as a community to maintain public health by staying apart.” The risks of ignoring the science, calls to action and warnings is best articulated by a doctor in Europe who published an opinion piece in Newsweek speaking to our responsibility and the overrun health system: “Most of my childhood friends are now doctors working in north Italy. In Milan, in Bergamo, in Padua, they are having to choose between intubating a 40-year-old with two kids, a 40-year old who is fit and healthy with no co-morbidities, and a 60-year-old with high blood pressure, because they don’t have enough beds. In the hallway, meanwhile, there are another 15 people waiting who are already hardly breathing and need oxygen.” Make no mistake we are also dealing with a major social justice issue and our community is responding. Fellow neighbors on Nextdoor such as Michael Mezzatesta in Park Meadows and Will Ferris in Pinebrook are offering to pick up groceries for the elderly and immuno-vulnerable. The Park City Community Foundation and other organizations are offering unrestricted resources to support groups who are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus and its economic consequences. Please consider our single parent neighbors or those with dual-working parents. Let’s do our part on social distancing so those who literally cannot and our altruistic caregivers are not at greater risk. Dr. Bitton outlines his suggestions in a letter recently published that can be summarized as follows: Please stay home if you can. Go outside but generally stay away from non-family members. Do critical things at off hours. If you have been near someone with the coronavirus or have symptoms, please self-quarantine. Of course, if there is an emergency, call 911. Hard choices made today can help us avoid a much larger crisis later. This is a global health emergency. This is not spring break. The decisions each of us makes has the opportunity to save a neighbor you have yet to meet. y early Wednesday morning, the nerves of many — if not most — Parkites were already frayed given what had transpired in the previous week, which saw the first local case of the coronavirus snowball into an abrupt shutdown of the resort economy and a dramatic restructuring of daily life in Summit County. In a world changing in significant ways at such a breakneck pace, many residents were likely clinging to the solid earth beneath their feet as one of the few constants they could still count on. Then, at 7:09 a.m., that illusion was suddenly stripped away, too. For a lot of Parkites, the state’s strongest earthquake since 1992 was yet another shock to the system, another significant and uncontrollable event that had a negative effect on their mental health. It was the last thing any of us needed. The situation our community finds itself in is unprecedented. Many of our neighbors are out of jobs, others are worried about themselves or their loved ones getting sick and still others are simply concerned about the state of the world amid a daily deluge of bad news. In short, people are hurting. Fortunately, there are many organizations trying to help. The county Health Department, for one, plans to hold online group support sessions for residents dealing with personal challenges created by the coronavirus. Connect Summit County, meanwhile, is also providing virtual mental health support, as well as offering additional resources aimed at helping residents care for themselves in a time of such strife. Those efforts and many others are critical and appreciated. Nearly all of us are struggling in one way or another, a challenge only exacerbated by the requirements — crucial for public health — that we limit close contact with other people, including loved ones in many cases. Now, more than ever, we must ensure those of us who are facing mental health issues get the help they need and understand that they are not alone. One important step we can all take right away is recognizing the burden we are all carrying and being kind to one another. It could be be a long while, it seems, until life is back to normal, here and in many other places in the world. We’ll see our way through this. But until then, we must all look for ways to lighten what is becoming by the day an increasingly heavy load. letters to the editor Gratitude for health care workers I would like to express gratitude to the qualified, compassionate and resilient medical personnel during this time of a novel new virus outbreak. I am currently healthy and self-isolating in recognition that it is something I can do to protect those that protect us. Early timing is so powerful. I will use the time to also plan on how I can support my local businesses once this virus infection has flattened its growth so as to not overwhelm our medical personnel and institutions. It is very doable to come back out and support all the businesses that I may miss for two weeks to two months. Allison Florance Park City Thankful for the little things Just a quick shout-out to all those in our community who are working so hard to maintain the many “little things” we’ve too long taken for granted. Grocers restocking shelves around the clock. U.S. Postal Service carriers delivering mail each afternoon. Groomers maintaining our Nordic trails each sunrise. Thank you. Your diligence nudges fear towards faith. Krista, Matt and Drew Dana Thaynes Canyon Many are contributing While many of us sit at home trying to entertain kids/grandkids (or just griping and watching Netflix), there are a lot of people who are quietly keeping us safe, fed and informed. The first tip of our hats goes to our police, firefighters and health care workers (including all the staff and technicians who back up the front line). The people who run our newspapers and TV stations continue quietly doing their jobs to keep us entertained and up to date on COVID-19, earthquakes, locust plagues, etc. Ditto for the hotel and restaurant/food service workers (those who still have jobs) working behind the scenes. And who do we think drives the trucks full of food and toilet paper to the grocery stores where other people diligently keep the shelves stocked? Did you order anything on-line? Then thank the people at USPS, FedEx and UPS who deliver those orders to our doors. Pump any gas recently? More truck drivers and inside staff. And, oh yeah, if you had your trash picked up recently, more truckers. Despite the problems that we all encounter during this period, we owe a large THANK YOU to those people who keep our lives running relatively smoothly. Ken Miller Park City Backbone of the community I think about how Park City has changed in just one week. I cannot fathom how many people have lost their jobs from the resorts, hotels, restaurant, gyms and so forth. Most of these people live paycheck to paycheck. I think it’s time to look at the big picture, come together as a community and help so many that have just had the carpet pulled away. The Christian Center can only do so much. These people that have lost their jobs are the backbone of this community. It’s time we help. Ann Kruse Park City Make sure to have your say Once again, no Republican candidates filed for election in Summit County. Local county races should not be partisan, anyway, but the Legislature disagrees. The incumbent Democrats: Treasurer Corrie Forsling; Recorder Rhonda Francis; and Assessor Stephanie Larsen filed to remain in their positions. They’re excellent public servants. We’re in good hands here. Barring successful “write-in” campaigns, they’re elected to fulfill the duties of their office for four more years. The Summit County Council, your local officials who filed are also Democrats. They have no Republican opponents, so your best chance to weigh in on the people who represent you for the next four years comes before noon on March 23, the deadline to sign up to participate in the Summit County Democratic caucus. That’s MONDAY. If you want to have a voice, you can do that regardless of your political registration/affiliation (because the Democratic Party is an open party, accepting all who wish to participate). If you want to have a voice in the election, click here and sign up to participate electronically in the Summit County Democratic caucus: scdems.org/caucus-day-2020/ before noon on March 23. If you don’t want to be a delegate for your precinct, just sign up to vote. It could be your only chance. Delegates will vote by drop off ballot on April 2. There are three open seats. Doug Clyde is unopposed. The other two seats have two each filed. My personal choices are Roger Armstrong and Canice Harte. I’ve worked for years with these three community-spirited people. They are experienced and can jump right in to tackle the very difficult tasks awaiting our County Council. In these troubled times, we can’t afford to elect less than the best. Sally Elliott Park City Where does the buck stop? Beginning in boot camp, I was taught that the senior Marine was responsible for the action or inaction of all those he or she oversaw. This applied to privates through generals and was strengthened by an unyielding rule that “you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility.” In other words, subordinates could be given the power to direct others to perform a mission, but you were still accountable for the mission’s successful accomplishment. Frankly, I was sickened recently to watch our Commander in Chief violate this most basic of leadership principles when he was asked if he felt any responsibility for the elimination of the National Security Council’s Pandemic Unit. He first accused the reporter of asking a “nasty question” and then went on to say that “it wasn’t me” and that he did not know anything about it (an obvious lie). He then turned to Dr. Anthony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health and asked him if he knew anything about it (an obvious attempt to deflect the blame). This cowardly performance by our president should worry us as much as the current pandemic, since he is ultimately responsible for the action or inaction of the men and women working to contain it. Patrick McLane Pinebrook Dear Editor, For more details please visit our website. www.parkrecord.com/writealetter |
