Thank you for the shot

When I got my first dose of COVID-19 vaccine recently, I was positively giddy. Thank you to all the workers at the fairgrounds who work like a well-oiled machine. It was painless and efficient.

Thank you Gov. Kate Brown for making educators a priority as we return to the classroom with multiple opportunities for exposure to infection. Thank you to the over-60 citizens who have been so gracious. It is unfortunate that difficult decisions have to be made. I promise not to squander the gift I have been given. I have pages of notes and plans of how I am going to meet the needs of my students.

Thank you to the families who have worked so hard with their children during comprehensive distance learning. Your efforts were not in vain. I will continue to wear a mask, socially distance and wash my hands at every opportunity. Those are still important tools to keep everyone as safe as possible. The vaccine is not a panacea but it is beacon of hope. Thank you!

— Torree Abrams works for Bend-La Pine Schools.

Results were reliable

With so many judicial comments, including from the Supreme Court of the United States, so many recounts of the ballot results, we ended up with the most reliable results ever from a national election. In spite of this, letter writer Jared Black wants an asterisk next to Biden’s name. How do we rate Trump’s four-year reign in office : @#$%&*!

— Tom Gunn, Bend

Gorman was an inspiration

Thank you for publishing the text of “The Hill We Climb” by the Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, which she read at President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Her composure and delivery were remarkable for a 22-year-old on such an auspicious occasion. But her words were even more impressive: eloquent, uplifting, and inspirational.

— Laurie Henberg, Sunriver

Bad vaccination policy

Juxtaposed on Saturday’s front page were three stories about COVID-19: one in which Redmond schools announced a delay of in-person learning (which I applaud) and two regarding Oregon’s current vaccine priorities (which I disagree with).

Gov. Kate Brown has embarked on a program with hypothetical benefits (returning students to schools) at the expense of a known outcome (excess COVID-19 mortalities for Oregon seniors). In doing so, she repeats the same mistakes she regularly castigated the Trump administration for: ignoring the science.

She misses the point that the only way schools will return to normal is when the pandemic has ended — and the only way to end the pandemic is to follow the science as well as the recommendations of medical professionals.

Dozens — if not hundreds — of Oregon seniors will pay the ultimate price for delaying their vaccinations. If the governor wants to demonstrate empathy and leadership, she should defer her personal vaccination until all Oregon seniors have had the opportunity to receive theirs; or, better yet, until all Oregon residents have had their turn. Nothing beats leadership by example!

— Kent McLean, Redmond

Brown made the right choice

These trying times force tough decisions. I approve of Gov. Kate Brown’s decision to vaccinate teachers before seniors. All children, especially in the K-3 group, will benefit significantly from in-person learning, not only educationally but socially as well. It has been well -documented that not only do schools teach and provide needed social interactions, but they also ensure access to meals and visibility to child abuse for some.

It is not just children that will benefit when schools reopen, but parents (mostly women) who have had to forgo working and can return if their work environment is available and safe.

How then to respond to the concern of 300 additional senior deaths if vaccinations are delayed by two weeks? Communities can help ensure that these numbers are not realized by making grocery runs for seniors, by staying in touch with their senior relatives, not with indoor gatherings, but by phone or electronic means, and following mask and social distancing rules.

At age 73, I can wait a few more weeks.

— Kay Korzun, Bend

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