Vaccine Phase 2 rollout starts now
By JOSH RESNEK
The following is not an overstatement.
Everyone we know in Everett is tired of reading about the virus and extremely tired of the restrictions and the personal suffering heaped upon so many families.
Those individuals whose lives were taken by it or who were struck down with it and struggle to recover understand better than most of us that we must continue to pay close attention to the spread of the virus.
At the same time, we must all lobby our leaders for a rapid inoculation program to make much of the population safe from the virus.
To date, only Everett’s first responders and nursing home residents and aids, and those working inside the former Whidden Hospital have been inoculated, according to state officials.
Compounding the complexities of a nationwide inoculation program is the immensity of the numbers needing to have shots but also, the fact there is not enough vaccine to go around.
With more than 400,000 dead and millions infected, and daily infections rising at a rate of about 3,000-4,000 a day there can be no letting up on the virus to defeat it.
“No one wants to read about the virus anymore. We’re all tired of it,” said Councilor Mike Marchese.
“Being tired of it doesn’t diminish the dangers of catching the virus,” Marchese said thoughtfully.
Everett reported hundreds of new cases of the virus last week.
Since the Thanksgiving Holiday and Christmas, the numbers have gone wild locally and across the nation.
During the past 10 days, Everett reported more than 400 new cases of the virus.
Although exact numbers are not available, it is estimated well over 100 Everett residents have likely died of the virus.
The infection rate among the population is exceptionally high in Everett. It is somewhere between 14 and 15 perent.
The mayor claims that the higher infection numbers are caused by Everett residents not exercising safety inside their homes with their families and friends.
There is now a citywide debate brewing about when and how to reopen the public schools.
That debate is ongoing and almost completely reliant on national standards and state OKs of virus figures being reduced and vaccinations increasing by the tens of millions to a point where the schools can be opened without endangering teachers, students, and their parents and grandparents.
Last week, the state announced that restrictions were being lifted so that Encore casino and hotel can be open 24/7 (see Encore story in this edition).
In addition, restaurants will be allowed to open until later in the evening as the curfew has been lifted.
Seating and crowd requirements have not been changed.
The casino and all restaurants are allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity only until further notice.