‘Your’ choice is leaving hospitals no choice

I was glad to see Lois Olsen’s letter regarding overcrowded hospitals due to the unvaccinated, and how they put other critical patients in jeopardy. People want their freedom to choose not to get vaccinated. OK, your choice. But don’t go running to the hospital when you come down with Covid. Do not take the beds for critically ill patients, who, by no fault of their own, been in a car accident, had a heart attack, stroke, cancer diagnosis, etc. You made a decision; you take the consequences. That’s how it works.

For now, the hospitals have tolerated these people who refuse to think their choice hurts other people. (There’s too many examples of how it does to be printed here). But I can assure you that this benevolent attitude of medical communities will not last. In Alabama: “Dr. Valentine will no longer see patients that are not vaccinated against COVID-19,” the sign reads. He said Covid was a miserable way to die and he could no longer watch it. In Idaho, 10 overwhelmed hospitals activated “crisis standards of care” allowing health care rationing. The move allows hospitals to allot scarce resources like intensive care unit rooms to patients most likely to survive. Covid has killed over 650,000 people, a terrible track record for “likely to survive.”

Only half of Butte County is vaccinated. Yesterday, there was one ICU bed open in Butte County. The writing is on the wall. YOUR choice will give hospitals NO choice but to ration care.

— Lynne Bussey, Chico