Letters to the editor | Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020: My COVID choice: starve, or break rules
My COVID choice: starve, or break rules
I recently needed to apply for emergency food stamp assistance for my two daughters and myself. I have COVID-19 and spent eight days in the hospital fighting for my life. I have been unable to work since Nov. 14 and am still in quarantine now that I am home. We have a true need. It took three days of telephone interviews to finally get to a worker who would be able to issue emergency benefits. I was told we didn’t qualify for emergency aid because my income was greater than my rent.
So how am I supposed to feed my children? If this is what happens to all people who have COVID-19 when they seek help, no wonder our community is so heavily infected. Do I stay home and quarantine or do I go out and find a way to feed my kids? This situation is so unacceptable. Stanislaus County is to blame for the rise in cases.
Andrea Requena, Turlock
It’s about ICU capacity
Wake up, people. COVID-19 is real, not fake news. President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and a bunch of White House people have caught it. Sure, many people have no or mild symptoms, but the problem is that you never know how it will affect you or those near you that you love. Do your best to stop the spread — wear a mask, don’t have parties, don’t gather with those not in your household. Vaccines are many thousands of deaths away, and the vaccines when here will not bring back the dead.
Lockdowns are not an effort to prevent you personally from contracting COVID. You are responsible for your own health. Lockdowns are a wake-up call to get everyone’s attention to the problem of diminishing ICU bed availability and to hopefully slow the spread enough to keep a few ICU beds open for other than COVID patients. If you, I, or a loved one are in an accident, have a heart attack or stroke, we will want to have a critical care bed available. If we continue on the present path I fear people will be dying in hospital corridors.
James Peck, Modesto
Could this get more dire?
According to Stanislaus County’s coronavirus dashboard, we’ve hit a low of four ICU beds a few times in the past week. Since we have five hospitals in the county, would it be fair to report one or more of our hospitals have already hit zero ICU beds? And that’s just counting beds. The dashboard doesn’t measure the superhuman courage in ICU staffs. We mortals are in awe.
This holiday season, may the rest of us be humble. And supportive, by doing the things we know ICU staffers need, even pray, for us to do.
Cindy Peterson, Turlock
Take your vitamins, people
Every death from COVID-19 is heartbreaking. We recently lost Charley Pride and Elliott teacher Jerry Jarvis, among thousands of others. Could they have been saved?
Mineral deficiencies are often linked to severe cases. Five of the eight things administered to the president while he had COVID-19 are available over the counter. Melatonin and Famotidine (Pepcid) act as anti-inflammatories, aspirin helps prevent clots, and adults are often deficient in Vitamin D and Zinc. One study found that nursing home patients supplemented with Vitamin D had lower mortality rates.
Of course people should consult their doctors first. County Health could share a link to these recommendations when a resident tests positive and potentially save lives.
Katherine Borges, Salida