Desperately awaiting surgery

I would be very interested to know the number of unvaccinated patients who are filling up hospital beds, to capacity, due to now having COVID.

I’m in a desperate situation for surgery, having been waiting for 12 months with no end in sight. Stretching the pain meds to maximum daily doses, getting very little sleep and being useless to anyone around me has life on a knife’s edge (pun intended).

This could probably apply to the 89,000 people who are also waiting.

I hope the ill all recover from this virus but take time to think about their decisions.

So we all wanted to “live” with COVID, I’m not sure we are?

Neil Boal, Warragul

Analysed deaths

It seems that some people are still intent on drawing on anecdotes and opinions when it comes to vaccination, rather than looking at verifiable data.

The Health Department and the ABC have analysed the 2171 deaths from COVID in Victoria from January 1 2022 to June 30 2022. Despite only 4 per cent of the Victorian population being unvaccinated, 37 per cent of the COVID deaths come from this group.

With 23 per cent of the population having had one or two doses, this group make up 35 per cent of the COVID deaths. However, the largest group, the 73 per cent of Victorians, who have had three or more doses, make up only 28 per cent of the deaths from COVID.

In pure number terms the number of unvaccinated Victorians who are eligible to be vaccinated is around 228,000. The COVID deaths from this group are 803, or one in 283. Those in the three vaccinations or more group number about 4,234,000. The COVID deaths for this group are 607, or 1 in 6975.

The obvious conclusion is that you are far less likely to die from COVID if you have had three or more doses of the vaccine. People who do not believe in vaccinations may wish to have the last word but the Victorian Health Department figures are very stark. No vaccinations and your chances of dying from COVID are increased 24 times. With COVID now spreading and the numbers of deaths this year already exceeding all the deaths of 2021 and 2020 combined, sometimes it is not all about having the last word, but the best, most informed one.

Greg Tuck, Warragul

No sarcasm

Thank you, Brian Chapman for your response (Gaz 19/7)] to my recent offering, to which I now reply - you are wrong on so many levels.

Firstly, you mistake my honest opinion for sarcasm, for of course you are absolutely ‘’ a two bob gambler.’’ Of course, during these terrible years of the pandemic, most of us would have to admit we have all been gamblers. We all have concerns and uncertainties, but the vast majority of us have followed the health advice from the vast majority of pandemic experts but most, even the vaccinated, would admit to pushing the boundaries, and occasionally even ‘’breaking’’ the rules, whilst still hoping for positive outcomes.

In your case Brian, I fully respect your medical background and knowledge, and emphasise with your medical conditions, though you might want to consider simplifying the medical jargon for the average punter reader. You, however, whilst firmly believing, rightly or wrongly, that vaccination is not for you, for a variety of reasons, in your own words, ‘’gave in.’’ You caved, Brian, big time.

And then , when you did, you set about blaming everyone else, ‘’the mainstream’’, taking no responsibility for your own actions. You, an extremely educated and seemingly intelligent adult, refused to stand up and be counted.

Just who are ‘’the mainstream’’ anyway, that you claim ‘’obstruct intellectual diversity’’ through mainstream censorship and social media cancel culture? Is it the majority who disagree with you, and how do they achieve the above It surely can’t be the media, for your views would sit comfortably with the anti vaccination, climate change denialist, and bats__t crazy conspiracy theories regularly published in the state’s biggest selling newspaper.

If your personal health issues are sufficient to gain you a vaccination exemption, then fair enough, but you don’t claim as such, which considering your age group and condition, makes you a leading vaccination candidate.

So Brian, your claim that you were’’ bullied ‘’by medical, state, and peer group pressures says more about your vulnerability, than those you nebulously accuse. That you would bring up missing a holiday and being unable to attend hospitality venues, well, welcome to the real world. Cry me a river Brian.

Whilst I disagree with the non vaccinators, including those of my own profession, and a number of high profile sports people, who would have endured considerably more pressure than you, they stood firmly by their principles and actually, in many cases, lost their jobs, whilst you lost a holiday. I respect them more than an educated man who refused to do so. Being jabbed twice, then refusing boosters indeed makes you a two way gambler.

It seems most of us are willing to do what is deemed necessary to minimise the harsh effects of the pandemic, but antivaccers, often with an obvious political bias, seem happy to play the victim. Half a million Australians received their fourth jab this week, despite all their doubts and concerns, but with a proven record in mind, and I too am quadruple vaccinated.

John Duck, Trafalgar

Social support

For many years Baw Baw Shire successfully ran our Social Support Group providing excellent care at the Elderly Citizens building in Mason Street Warragul. They provided well-trained staff who gave us full support taking great care of us.

At all times we were fully informed about planned activities with phone calls, text messages and regular mailed information sheets. This facility in Mason Street was well appointed with toilets easily accessible, a small kitchen, excellent seating, and tables.

The group administration office was nearby. Andrea the co-ordinator was always available.

Our group, usually consists of 13 members coming from across the shire, two from Longwarry, two from Neerim South, two from Drouin and the remainder of us from around Warragul. Most of us use the excellent pick-up bus service provided by the shire, others drive..

The bus service provided by the shire was excellent. We has one week at the centre for inhouse activities and the other week off on a bus trip for lunch at various places around Gippsland. This was extremely popular and should be continued. Some former staff members were unable to continue with Benetas while three have started to work for Benetas. The new location for the group is at the Community Church, Wills Street, Warragul.

We held our first meeting last week in the basketball stadiu, which is large, draughty and cold. Both groups huddled, well rugged up, near the kitchen area. The new support staff did their best to warm the building using every possible heater. The Community Church is in a solated area with little or no transport apart from what Benetas hopes to provide.

We completed survey forms to indicate our views regarding weekly or fortnightly or monthly access meetings. Once the surveys are all in, we will be informed about the format of our future meetings. The big question is why Benetas didn’t consider using the previous facility in Mason Street.

We are supposed to be recipients of this social support scheme. Finally, your four staff members, are conscientiously trying to resolve our concerns and issues and we thank them for this. It is no reflection on them but a criticism of Benetas itself. The shire did an excellent job looking after the groups and Benetas is now under pressure to match up to what we previously had.