Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs down to graduation season offering a reminder of the shortage of nurses in Connecticut. About 2,000 grads claimed nursing degrees in the state (congratulations to them), but a dramatic needs remains unfilled. Many of these front-line workers suffered understandable burnout during the pandemic, causing many older nurses to retire and younger ones to seek less-stressful duties. It's all a reminder of how valuable and underappreciated nurses are. It might be wise to recruit some of the veteran nurses who recently retired to help fill the desperate need for instructors.
Thumbs up to increased scrutiny on “self-driving” cars. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal was one of many people alarmed by a report last week detailing the hazards of automated driving systems, which are increasingly common on roads but are not as safe as some might believe. A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found 392 accidents, most in the past year, in which an automated driving system was active within 30 seconds of the crash. The result was six deaths and five serious injuries. Though traditional cars have well-known safety risks as well, it's clear that more needs to be done to test automatic driving systems before they take over the roads. Everyone deserves to feel safe on their journeys.
Thumbs up to rising bus ridership, driven by free fares and high gas prices. When the state Legislature enacted a gas tax holiday earlier this year, which will run until December, it also temporarily suspended fares on Connecticut's bus transit programs, which has led to an increase in ridership. While it can take some time for people to readjust their transportation patterns to take advantage of a changing situation, officials say they are encouraged by what they've seen. Mass transit has many benefits, including for people who don't use it – every bus rider is one fewer car on the highway. Getting more people onto buses fights pollution, as well. It's a trend the state needs to continue even after the current crisis fades.
Thumbs down to new COVID variants. The BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, related to the omicron variant, have hit Connecticut, researchers say, with the potential for yet another wave of sickness from the never-ending pandemic. Although numbers are down somewhat from the elevated case rates of a few months ago, that could be due to change. And while vaccines and boosters have significantly reduced negative impacts among COVID patients, newer variants could prove more resistant to such measures. In addition, there's much we're still learning about so-called long COVID, which has a variety of impacts on people over many months. While the world has in many ways returned to normal, the danger from the coronavirus has yet to pass.