Dear Reader,
Last year, I wrote about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recall of 98,000 salmonella-laced turkeys. Way back then (in what seems like a lifetime ago), the CDC wasn’t a frequent reference point for our reporting at VTDigger.
Today, the CDC’s reports on Covid are a regular feature of our local reporting. Salmonella is the least of our worries as coronavirus rates spike, and Vermont struggles to maintain its island-like status during a sea change in case rates that are surging all around us.
Still, we have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. We have had a remarkable run of very low infection rates over a six-month period. And even now, our positivity levels remain among the lowest in the nation.
We have each other to thank for that. We have listened, acted and protected the most vulnerable people in our society from becoming infected from this airborne disease which has killed more than 261,000 Americans.
We also have had the advantage of living in a state with courageous, forward-thinking leadership. Republican Gov. Phil Scott and his team have worked tirelessly to impress upon Vermonters the necessity of social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing. Scott is a regular guy who grew up in Barre, rides motorcycles and worked construction before he took the top job. That helps. Though he often differs with President Donald Trump (and voted for Joe Biden), he is not completely ignored by the president’s supporters in Vermont.
The political environment and Vermonters’ commitment to following the rules has prevented our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. If too many people are hospitalized all at once, our doctors and nurses would struggle to meet the need. We have avoided hospital surges so far. And if we are willing to continue to overcome our Covid fatigue, hopefully we can prevent the kinds of horrific death tolls that have taken place in New York City, El Paso, New Orleans and South Dakota.
The state’s hospitals have worked hard to prepare for a potential surge. They have trained personnel in the best treatments, ordered personal protective equipment and postponed elective surgeries — all in an effort to ensure that Vermonters have access to the care they need.
Because Vermonters are willing to consider the science and have not been as susceptible to the partisanship that has created rifts across the nation, we have largely sidestepped the worst of the pandemic. As a state, we’ve handled this as well as any place in the world, despite the fact that we are located near large population centers in the Northeast.
Still, the impact has been enormous. Our economy is in a shambles. Businesses have made incredible sacrifices, and thousands of Vermonters have paid the price with job losses, furloughs and cuts in hours over the past six months. Since February, 26,100 fewer Vermonters are collecting a paycheck.
The economic pain caused by the pandemic has not ended and may in fact intensify in the coming months. If you can afford to help your neighbors during this crisis, please do your part and give to the Vermont Foodbank here.
With the prospect of a vaccine now becoming a reality and our ongoing willingness in Vermont to commit to the public good, we have a good chance of coming out on the other side, as long as we remain faithful to helping each other out.
Despite all of the heartache and difficulty, we have found a way to give back. This year, Vermonters have made thousands of masks, donated firewood and food, serenaded nursing home residents and offered free counseling.
Covid fatigue is real. There is nothing more antithetical to the way we live than to forgo Thanksgiving with our families. But we are, as a society, willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. That’s what makes me grateful to be a Vermonter.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at VTDigger.
Anne Galloway
