Recent editorials from Tennessee newspapers:
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Dec. 28
The Johnson City Press on the coronavirus vaccine being used as a political favor in one Tennessee city:
Perhaps Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby’s decision to offer “extra” novel coronavirus vaccinations to members of the County Commission and their families can be chalked up to a rookie mistake.
After all, she’s only had the job since September. The Commission appointed her on an interim basis immediately following the death of Mayor Rusty Barnett and then elected her in November to fill out his term, which expires in 2022.
But Woodby has been around the courthouse much longer. She’s been a county employee for 10 years and a commissioner for two. Prior to her appointment, she was deputy clerk of the Carter County Circuit Court. As a commissioner representing Roan Mountain and the body’s vice chairwoman, she began presiding over meetings when then-Chairman Ray Lyons’ health started failing and assumed the role on a regular basis after he resigned.
Regardless of experience, Woodby’s vaccination offer to commissioners was an ethical breach. It was an affront to thousands of vulnerable citizens whose needs must come before politics.
The vaccination process is not a game of leapfrog. It’s set up in phases to direct doses to the people most likely to contract and spread the virus, followed by the people most vulnerable to the COVID-19’s life-threatening effects.
The distribution prioritization is there for good reason. Frontline health care workers and first responders were first on the list because of their potential for contact with people infected with COVID-19. That amounts to an estimated 450,000 people in Tennessee.
As that phase got underway last week, Carter County received what Woodby described as an unexpected number of doses, hence her offer to commissioners.
After commissioners leveled criticism last week, Woodby responded Monday by saying she acted on a suggestion from the Carter County Health Department. Regardless of where the idea originated, she made a poor choice.
There’s no such thing as extra vaccinations during this pandemic.
As doses become available, the next phase of distribution is to go to all other health care workers - about 100,000 people in Tennessee. They will be followed by people with high-risk comorbidities, which are health conditions that could be worsened by COVID-19, potentially leading to death. That’s an estimated 1.2 million Tennesseans.
Next will be those in critical infrastructure positions, those with moderate health risks, people over age 65, school and child care staff and others in dense settings - 2.55 million in Tennessee. The state’s estimated 2 million schoolchildren and industrial workers will come next. And finally, all other Tennesseans who want the vaccine would receive it - about 500,000 people fall into that last category.
While we are sure some commissioners, particularly older members, are high in those priorities, jumping in line by way of political favoritism would be a violation of public trust.
As Commissioner Robert Acuff and others have noted, Woodby’s offer was unacceptable. We’ll call it unscrupulous and dangerous.
If Woodby is to continue in a leadership role, she must learn to put the health and welfare of Carter County citizens ahead of all other considerations. We hope the backlash serves as a critical lesson.
Online: https://www.johnsoncitypress.com
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Dec. 28
The Kingsport Times-News on making sure car headlights are working properly:
Not all motor vehicles have automatic headlights, and not all automatic headlights work all of the time. That seems to be a problem in Kingsport and, we suspect, everywhere else.
A reader called to say he’s seeing more and more motorists on the streets of Kingsport driving without headlights, and not just at dusk or dawn, but during the night. In one instance the caller said he almost collided with a fellow motorist who was driving without headlights. And he’s not alone in this observation.
Tom Patton, public information officer for the Kingsport Police Department, has also noticed the problem and reminded that “if an officer sees it, they’re certainly going to take action and stop the person and at the very least point it out to them.” As well, the driver “may get a citation and that stop may lead to other things. It’s not unheard of to see someone with their headlights off and the reason being that they’re impaired.”
The citation will cost you $50 in Kingsport, perhaps more in the county or if you’re cited by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Another problem is drivers with a headlight out. It may be difficult to notice that a headlight has burned out in city driving where streets are well lit. “Or it could be the motorist simply forgot to turn them on, Patton said. “Sometimes the technology can mess with us. People rely on the daytime running lights and therefore forget to manually turn on their lights. Or they’re relying on automatic headlights, which may or may not automatically activate when it’s low light or inclement weather.”
Some people also may see better in low light than others and don’t think to turn on their headlights.
Finally, some vehicles blend in better than others. “If you have a bright red or yellow car, it may stand out in low light conditions. But if you’re driving a charcoal gray car on pavement, it just blends in,” Patton said. “If you don’t have your headlights on, then you’re invisible until you’re right on somebody and it’s too late.”
In case your vehicle doesn’t automatically turn on its headlights in low light conditions, a good rule of thumb is to turn them on about 30 minutes before sunset and 30 minutes after sunrise. In addition, Patton said there’s nothing wrong or illegal about running your headlights on low at all times. In fact, according to the National Law Review, numerous European countries have begun implementing laws requiring the use of daytime running lights, with the data showing a significant change in the number of daytime accidents reported in these countries.
“Tests have shown that even in broad daylight on a sunny day, a car with headlights is seen quicker and perceived quicker than one without them,” Patton said.
Be safe. Check your headlights - and taillights - to be sure they’re working.
Online: https://www.timesnews.net
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Dec. 24
The Kingsport Times-News on ‘emergency reserve’ COVID-19 vaccines:
Holding thousands of COVID-19 vaccinations in Tennessee as an “emergency reserve” may not top the list of dumb ideas, but if not, it’s got to be a close second.
When everyone in Tennessee has received a vaccination, a reserve would be justified. But in a state that ranks second in the nation for new COVID-19 cases per capita, refusing to release a single vaccination as quickly as possible is indefensible.
That the state plans to put more than 5,000 doses in a closet somewhere will kill an estimated 50 to 100 people. Numerous studies using a range of methods estimate that some five to 10 people will die for every 1,000 people with COVID-19.
No other state is conducting such a ridiculous policy.
An Associated Press review of each state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plans shows that only Tennessee is holding back doses. The state’s initial shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was not distributed for inoculation. Health care workers had to wait until the second shipment arrived days later.
“Given the extremely high case counts right now, our frontline health care workers are at higher risk than ever. I would personally advocate for those doses being used rather than stockpiled,” said Dr. Isaac Thomsen, who leads the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program Laboratory.
Despite a federal stockpile created so states can use all of their supplies, Tennessee officials maintain that the reserve is necessary because of the risk of damaging the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultracold storage. “If a hospital receives a case of the vaccine and it’s spoiled or broken, we can immediately deploy that (emergency reserve) to them,” state Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said.
But the state’s vaccination plan also calls for holding back 5,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which does not require ultracold storage, about 5% of the state’s first shipment from the company.
Bottom line, the state’s vaccination program is a race against death. In other states, the approach is to quickly distribute every drop of vaccine to those with the highest risk of exposure. In North Carolina, for instance, officials stated in their distribution plan that no doses will be held back at the jurisdictional or provider level.
The state’s record case numbers, climbing death rates and overwhelmed hospitals outweigh any priority to build up a reserve. Those vaccinations are needed by our high-risk health care workers, and they’re needed now. No vaccine should be held back, not by Tennessee, and not by the federal government.
Online: https://www.timesnews.net
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