I continue to be dismayed and enraged by the abject failure of U.S. public health, in the worst pandemic in a century.
Your recent article (“2 years of COVID-19: Omicron fades, but what lies ahead?,” March 2, 2022) contributes to the obfuscation and victim-blaming that has emanated from two consecutive presidents, all the way down to state and local levels. In the article featuring quotes from six authorities around the state, including the much-celebrated Dr. Nirav Shah, I found:
• Only one sentence mentioning long COVID-19.
• No mention of how masking protects the immunocompromised.
• Zero mention of the BA2 version of omicron, which is still very much in play around the world.
Worse, the dominant topic was mental illness effects, barely mentioning the physical causes, including the nationwide trauma of mass preventable death and vascular damage caused by COVID-19, as if “it’s all in our heads.”
This was followed by optimism and rejoicing that Maine’s summer tourist season may set a new record.
I’m sure that’s a great comfort to my immunocompromised friends, and to all the children who’ve lost one or more caregivers, not to mention the burned-out health care workers who may get a short respite before the next surge arrives.
Jeffrey Hotchkiss
Portland
