After a summer of ‘normalcy’ in the region, the rise of the COVID-19 Delta variant was a tough pill to swallow. Breakout cases, when fully-vaccinated people test positive, have become much more common.
Cases are surging to heights we have not seen since the vaccine became widely available, and yet the general populace does not want to return to the social distancing era of last year. This pandemic has been increasingly painted as a political issue when, in reality, it is a moral issue.
In the past seven days (Sept. 10-17), Washington County accounted for 841 positive COVID test results, approaching the all-time high for the county. Only 56.6% of the eligible county is vaccinated- a large portion of which comes from the elderly population. As a school that interacts with the community of Washington County frequently, we must ask ourselves- how accountable are we for this spike in cases?
The expected minimum for somebody who wants to minimize their spread of COVID as much as possible is to wear a mask indoors and to get vaccinated. If you spot a student not wearing a mask in public, is it your responsibility to tell them to put on a mask? Is it your responsibility to urge your friends to get vaccinated? This is a contagious virus that has taken the lives of over six hundred thousand Americans. Is it enough to look out for just yourself?
That mindset gripped our society and has caused a lot of discourse. We are all young and ultimately at low risk of being severely affected by COVID, so why bother? People believe we should get vaccinated and socially distance ourselves to defend ourselves, which is true, but it is much more than that. I didn’t get vaccinated to protect myself, I got vaccinated to protect others from myself.
There is a portion of the population who are high-risk or can’t get vaccinated, but that does not mean they shouldn’t be allowed to safely interact with our society. There are people who have high-risk parents or can’t afford to take two weeks off work because they tested positive. Your actions can affect other people’s lives, and there is no taking that back. In summation: We must flip the narrative about our reasoning to protect ourselves from exposure to COVID.
