A drone catapulted airborne from government refrigeration centers gently drops a parachuted container with 2,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine into a remote village in Ghana, where two nurses wait anxiously to retrieve the precious vaccine and inoculate their wholly unvaccinated village. Ghana and many other low-income countries have less than a 10 percent vaccination rate. That endangers us all.
Experts like Bill Gates, Dr. Seth Berkley and the World Health Organization complain that low-income countries have not received even their promised amount of vaccine from more-developed countries, and say that between now and early 2022, there still will be supply constraints.
It’s essential that all Americans get their vaccinations and booster shots to protect themselves and everyone else. If you have not done so yet, please, please get fully vaccinated and boosted.
I am 67, have a slight immune comorbidity, am fully vaccinated and know how lucky I am to live in America that not only created and has these lifesavers, but also offers them for free, professionally and conveniently.
We are all in this together — if we like it or not. I am blessed to be able to isolate myself, mask myself and stay safe. Whether it’s my experience with contact tracing, extensive world travel, tendency to be quixotic or understanding that deadly variants like Delta and now Omicron originate in under-vaccinated countries, I plan to delay my booster until early next year.
David Atman
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.