Do the responsible thing

To the Editor:

When I was 5 years old I got whooping cough, which can be deadly, but I was lucky because our doctor knocked it out with an antibiotic. A vaccine came out soon after that. During my teen years, a vaccine was developed for polio, a vicious malady that often led to leg braces, paralysis and/or death. People were ecstatic to get that vaccine and few kids didn't. Today, most kids get a raft of vaccines before school age against a number of bad diseases and anyone who went to public school got them. Anyone who was in the military has had lots of vaccinations. Unless you have a waiver, kids need them to get into kindergarten.

Thanks to Mr. Trump, almost half of our citizens won't take the COVID-19 vaccine in the name of “personal freedom,” even though he and his family are all vaccinated. So if you have some religious or ethical concern with vaccines, I get it, but that doesn't prevent the use of face masks. No, it really goes back to Mr. T calling COVID a Democratic hoax and then encouraging his followers to push back and resist state efforts to protect people. Let's face it, that's the reason for most of the resistance today and why the hospital is filled with new cases and needless deaths, and why our schools and kids are having a tough time getting back to education. No other president ever did this. I'm tired of the whining, and I'm tired of this virus. Grow up, do the responsible thing and get your shot. Or wear a mask. Thomas Beck

Sonora