Editor,
I’m writing in response to “An Open Letter to Gov. Holcomb” in the Jan. 11 edition of Current in Carmel.
My friend’s husband is currently hospitalized with “COVID pneumoni.” He’s fully vaccinated and wears a mask at work.
We now know that the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t prevent us from catching COVID-19, nor does it prevent us from spreading it. Additionally, non-N95 masks have been proven ineffective. Therefore, whether or not someone else chooses to get vaccinated or wear a mask should be of no concern to anyone else. Yes, the vaccine is supposed to lessen one’s chance of ending up in the hospital, and some people cite that as their reason to want others jabbed — to keep hospital capacity manageable. With that mentality, though, shouldn’t we be discouraging nonessential driving, ice skating, youth sports or basically any activity which could injure someone, sending them to the emergency room?
Rather than pleading with the governor to mandate experimental inoculations and force Hoosiers to cover their faces with masks, perhaps you could ask him to stress the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise, vitamin intake, focusing on our mental health or a myriad of other lifestyle choices we can make to improve our immunity and overall health.
If you want to be triple vaccinated, boosted and wear two masks, go for it. That’s your choice. At the same time, you need to please respect the choices and the bodily autonomy of others. Someone else might also choose to stay home, have groceries delivered, and only leave for emergencies. As for my family, we will continue to do what we’ve been doing: eating healthy, enjoying physical activity, taking supplements, practicing proper hygiene, staying home when we aren’t well and living our lives to the fullest.
Jackie O’Keefe, Carmel
