Vaccination helps us all
Aloha. I appreciate our leaders’ attempts to protect the public from COVID 19. Unfortunately, what we are doing isn’t as successful as we hoped.
Allowing unvaccinated people to travel freely to our islands and around the world is a bad idea. It’s their choice to not protect themselves with a free vaccine.
Is it fair for the people who are choosing to try and protect themselves by getting the vaccine to have to keep undergoing business shutdowns, no large gatherings, on and on?
You have a choice. If you choose not to be vaccinated, stay home.
Keep yourself and others safe. We can’t welcome you with open arms. You are putting yourself and others at risk for a deadly disease that is preventable.
On another note, traveling to and from the islands is a huge inconvenience for vaccinated citizens, especially if you are older and have to get the QR code every time you leave the island. If you have proof of having two vaccines couldn’t we streamline this process? This process is causing chaos and anxiety at airports.
People, I cannot stress enough how being vaccinated will help us all!
Linda Bothe, Kalaheo
Koke‘e roads are dangerous
Now that we are open to almost normal and there are more tourists around the island, there is one site that is getting dangerous to drive: the road to Koke‘e and Waimea Canyon state parks.
There is a high volume of tourists visiting the sites and no shoulder on the side of the highway. Also, it’s a winding road where semis, cyclers and all kinds of vehicles and full-size pickup trucks travel on.
At the antenna near the horseshoe turn, tourist are parking their vehicles and using half a lane to park, both ways north and south.
Farther up north, at the fourth set of guard rails, the same situation, with people walking alongside of the highway to view the waterfall.
Then when you get to Pu‘u Hinahihina Lookout, when the parking lot is full, tourists park around blind curves and walk along the highway to get to the lookout. And approximately a quarter mile up the road by the trail going to the waterfall, vehicles and people are on the highway.
My point is, like they made improvements to the North Shore parking, the of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation should find land to build parking lots in those area mentioned above.
Maybe a paid parking lot at the foot of the hill and shuttle service might help!
Howard Tolbe, ‘Ele‘ele
Get booster shots now
I just recently got my booster (third) COVID shot, and I just want to say how incredibly AT EASE I feel now.
It is so relieving and relaxing to not have to worry about getting sick from COVID.
Being vaccinated, I have a much-lower chance of getting infected.
And, if I do get infected, I am not likely to get very sick or need to be hospitalized.
And I am pretty much guaranteed not to die from an infection. Getting boosted has brought me SO much more “peace of mind” than I ever thought it could. I recommend it to everyone! Aloha!
Kathleen Johnson, Kalaheo
We have indeed gotten both shots. We have also gotten our booster shot. But I wonder if anyone has looked into our Congress and their Bureaucrats and why they are pushing so hard to have everyone get more and more shots? Could the fact that Pfizer is the 5th most own stock by Members of Congress and Johnson and Johnson is the 8th most owned? Could it have anything to do with this privileged class of Citizens gets to trade on insider information? They pass additional legislation that prohibits the government from negotiating price with these drug companies. Then they pass legislation that requires all citizens to take the vaccines and boosters!
If it smells like a rotten onion and tastes like a rotten onion and looks like a rotten onion it just may be a rotten onion!
I agree with both Linda that I feel more at ease with the booster yet know I can still catch this new variant easily and really don’t want to to through that at all. And also with what Linda is saying though I see the issues as residents traveling then not quarantining and testing after 3 – 5 days – I am aware of too many of them who are doing this. Let’s act more responsibly Kaua’i. Our numbers would be much lower if that step were taken. The new home PCR tests are supposed to be greatly improved if you don’t want to go in for testing. Slowly but surely things are closing down on the mainland and it is heading out way. Make your choices wisely as to how you want to care for yourself and your community and your Ohana.
Kathleen Johnson, I hope that your beliefs and confidence doesn’t disappoint you. Many people whether or not vaccinated are still contracting this disease and it’s variants. This tells me that there is being implemented a program that has a mix of science and much politics which for me are a big red flag. I wish you and all who confide in Fauci and company good will.
Patrick H Flores, Nampa, Id
All preliminary indications are that the new variant, while highly contagious, does not produce as severe symptoms as the delta variant. Hospitalizations appear to be down in major metropolis areas where the new variant is dominant. This gives me hope that this pandemic will fade away with a whimper, not a bang. We have the tools to protect ourselves with vaccines, boosters and soon, pills. 41 cases yesterday is not good, but only 2 hospitalizations. And, do we really care that much about breakthrough cases that produce symptoms similar to a cold? I don’t. It’s time to keep moving towards making things as normal as possible, let unvaccinated folks protect themselves as they see fit, and get on with our lives.