This recent letter to the editor by K. Patrice Williams, JD – Brand Strategist details why COVID testing is so important. It is the one small (free!) thing that we can each do that directly contributes to pulling our communities out of isolation.
Read the entire article below or click here.
K Patrice Williams: COVID testing stops the spread
By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
PUBLISHED: February 2, 2022 at 1:17 p.m.
By any measure, quantifiable or subjective, it’s fair to say that the COVID pandemic has had a lasting and devastating impact on the State of California. The state has reported over 8 million total cases and more than 80,000 total deaths. Almost all cities that rely on tourismand entertainment for revenue have reported staggering losses since the beginning of 2019 are projected to continue to lose much relied upon revenue for several more years to come.
COVID restrictions have also resulted in revenue declines for cities that collect taxes on admissions to large sporting or concert events and the state has lost tax revenues associated with hotel stays, airport parking, public park entrance fees and highway tolls. Pandemic-related declines in tax revenues is estimated to result in losses of over $45 billion in 2022.
Every city and town across this nation, big orsmall, has taken a hit, and Solano County has not been spared. We have lost 415 of our residents since the start of the pandemic and have had over 49,000 confirmed cases – roughly 10 percent of our total population. And every case, of course, brings with it the possibility of another loss. The good news is that 78% of the population of Solano County has been vaccinated and 68% have been fully vaccinated. But we can, and we have to, do better.
The health and economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis have been so severe (especially for Californians with low incomes who have been hit especially hard) and so overwhelming that it is sometimes impossible to imagine what a single individual can do to help with the colossal effort it is going to take to recover.
But perhaps there is one small thing you can do to help do your part. The California Department of Health has recently announced a plan to provide free COVID testing for free to anyone who needs it. I run a community-based organization that was awarded a contract to test at community events, meetings, and workplaces. This is a milestone initiative in that it allows a unique opportunity for every single person can help Solano County control the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing the spread of the COVID virus coworkers, friends and family.
This is a no-brainer. This initiative has nothing to do with partisan politics or political preferences. This is an opportunity for any individual to book a free test appointment and then walk into a gathering safe in the knowledge that they have done their very best to assure the safety of a loved one who may be more susceptible to the virus because of age, underlying medical condition or comorbidity.
This small (and free) act will not only help determine if you are infected with the COVID virus (whether or not symptoms are present), but also help determine if you are at risk of spreading the infection to others. Taking this small step will help prevent the spread of infection to others and it is one of the most effective strategies available to us, as individuals, for getting our community, our state and our country back to the level of normalcy that we all so desire.
I think, despite our political leanings, we can all agree on two things. One — we find ourselves smack in the middle of a circumstance that has impacted us more than we could have ever imagined and, for the most part, been out of our control to resolve. And two – we are all so over it.
There is no debate that COVID-19 has plagued our communities for two long years. And there should be no debate that, in a time of crisis a certain amount of sacrifice is required to address the situation and a certain level of action is necessary to alleviate the suffering (both health and economic) it is causing.
This has been true throughout history, and it is true today.
The fact is that philanthropic efforts have reached unprecedented levels in a valiant attempt to combat the coronavirus. Fortune Magazine has reported that charitable giving in the United States reached a record $471 billion in 2020, despite the hardships experienced by most and the disruption of paychecks experienced by many. This is a direct testament to the resilience of the American people and displays an intensity of generosity that defines the American spirit.
But today we ask for no donation. Today we ask only for a moment of your time. A moment of your time that could very well help pull us out of this dungeon of isolation and lift us into a new era of cooperation, partisanship and selflessness. It is a sacrifice for certain. But a small one considering the alternative.
And frankly, the consequences of the alternative are too dire to consider.
— K Patrice Williams/J.D., CEO of BrandGov Outreach
