By Senator Adam Hollier
President Biden, along with the governors of California and New York, recently announced new requirements for government employees to get vaccinated or to agree to frequent testing for COVID-19. In addition to these government groups, hospitals across the country have announced requirements that staff be vaccinated. More than 600 colleges and universities — including the University of Michigan — are requiring vaccines for on campus students and staff this fall.
Should the city of Detroit be next? In my We Can Do Better podcast, I had a conversation with Wayne State scientist, Dr. Gil Mor about all things vaccinations and just why it is so important to become vaccinated.
Dr. Gil Mor stated, “Pandemics or viral infections is not about an individual it’s about the community. Viruses affect communities because they transfer from one individual to another. We need to stop thinking in an individualistic approach, we need to start thinking for the benefit of the community.”
No one is more aware of the need to be vaccinated to protect each other than the people of Detroit. Our city was among the hardest hit early in the pandemic. Between March and May we have lost more than 1,200 of our neighbors.
It is inevitable that viruses will continue to touch the surface as time goes on, in return we need to be prepared for the next pandemic. First, we must take advantage of the vaccinations and take precautions for not just our loved ones but for the entire community, city, and state.
The impact of covid-19 is more than just, “did someone die” that is not the metric for which we should be counting. The true impact is simple, after months of reopening, no one wants to see COVID-19 regain its hold. But without higher vaccination levels, Detroit is vulnerable to another resurgence of the virus.
We can do better Detroit – I have and I encourage you to do the same.
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