Letters to the Editor: A plea for Lexington schools to continue requiring masks for some

Masks at schools

I would like to make an appeal to the Fayette County Public Schools board on behalf of immunocompromised family members of its student population. Please consider continuance of the mask policy for children ages 11 and under and enforce mask requirements for students and staff who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine.

I am a hematology patient and have successfully survived both leukemia and a bone marrow transplant. My life was saved by a combination of faith and science, but I do continue to require immunosuppressive therapies.

Although I have had two doses of the Moderna vaccine, I am part of the population for whom the vaccine could not medically protect.

We have made the difficult decision to allow our 9-year-old to return to the classroom this fall. He is eager to be with his peers once again and is in need of academic instruction.

I know that my family is not the only one in our vulnerable position.

Please consider families like mine. COVID-19 positivity numbers are on the rise in our state and variants continue to challenge and overwhelm our medical community. I urge the board to continue making its decisions with an abundance of caution.

Sarah S. Lister, Lexington

Keep us safe

Seventeen years ago a grieving family donated their child’s organs, thus saving multiple strangers’ lives. I was one of those strangers, and I honor that gift of life through my actions and by taking care of my health.

To prevent organ rejection, recipients take immunosuppressants throughout their lives. These inhibit their ability to respond to the COVID-19 vaccine. For many, it is as if they have not been vaccinated. They must continue to mask, practice social distancing, and use good hygiene. Life hasn’t “returned to normal.”

If someone chooses not to get vaccinated and not to mask, and then drifts within six feet of me, they are putting me at serious risk. That person is counteracting my 17 years of honoring a family’s gift.

I will wear my mask. But if people choose to risk their health by not getting vaccinated, then I ask them to wear one too and keep their distance. Protect those who cannot achieve full protection. Four to five percent of the population is immunocompromised — including transplant recipients and cancer patients. That means one out of 20 people, not to mention millions more that due to age or health conditions are less able to fight off this virus.

Linda Angelo, Lexington

Choice affects others

According to the U.S. surgeon general, for all practical purposes, everyone that is now dying from COVID-19 are the unvaccinated. But these are full-fledged adults and it was their personal decision that killed them.

However, there is another factor that is much more serious than this. That is the superspreaders. These are those who have the coronavirus but have absolutely no symptoms and so they don’t know they are sick but they are highly contagious. This is the group that is spreading the coronavirus to their family, friends and others. And while the percentage who die is small, if it’s a family member or friend, it is 100% for them. As significantly, we now know that some of the problems caused by coronavirus last for an extended period of time, and even a lifetime.

So for those who have been persuaded to believe the lie that they don’t need to be vaccinated against coronavirus, there is only one word to describe them. Suckers.

James C. Leadingham, Richmond

Humans needed

Here is a great idea for businesses in the post-COVID-19 economy: hire someone to answer the phones. I realize labor is a huge cost which diminishes profits, but I do not find it credible that major medical offices, especially those of specialists and lucrative hospitals worth billions, as well as major grocery chains, cannot afford to hire part time help (no benefits) to answer the phone.

I know many retirees who would love the chance to get out of the house and have a cush job like answering the phone in an office setting. The old ploy of “no one wants the job” has zero credibility. Meantime I urge all consumers to use their most powerful weapon: boycott the product or service after lodging a complaint with a human — if you can locate one.

Sally Wasielewski, Lexington