Black Hills Pioneer, Spearfish, March 7
Coronavirus no laughing matter
Since its rapid rise around the globe, people have been poking fun at the coronavirus because of its name and the lengths to which some people will go to prevent being infected.
But officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the disease is no laughing matter.
The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).
Coronavirus is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. Symptoms are similar to that of the flu, fever, runny nose, headache, sore throat and cough. Some patients get pneumonia in both lungs, multi-organ failure, and in some cases die from the disease.
Let’s put into perspective just how this compares with other remarkable disease events in our nation’s history.
There have been about three influenza pandemics in each century for the last 300 years, the most recent one being the 2009 flu pandemic.
The 1918 influenza pandemic in the U.S. remains a benchmark for being the most severe in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus. Although there is not universal consensus regarding where the virus originated, it spread worldwide during 1918-1919.
In the United States, it was first identified in military personnel in spring 1918. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50 million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States.
As of Friday, there were 100,713 coronavirus cases; 3,412 deaths and 55,995 people who have recovered from the virus across the globe. But without a known cure at this time that number could skyrocket.
People need to remember that advances in medical technology may lead us to a vaccine sooner rather than later.
Within two weeks of the recent outbreak, scientists had identified it as a coronavirus, sequenced its genome, and discovered that the most likely animal hosts were bats. This information, which was published by a Chinese team, was instantly shared across the scientific community, allowing research labs around the world to begin the long and complicated process of understanding the virus, and finding a vaccine and a cure.
The South Dakota Department of Health is being proactive in fighting the spread of the disease.
On Wednesday the DOH gave an informational briefing for the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. Then, on Thursday, the DOH hosted a webinar for healthcare providers statewide about the coronavirus. They also have launched a website with information about the coronavirus at doh.sd.gov/news/Coronavirus.aspx
You can do your part to help curb the spread of the virus, said Dr. Joshua Clayton, South Dakota’s state epidemiologist.
“South Dakotans can help stop the spread of germs by washing your hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, cleaning surfaces regularly, and staying home if you are sick,” he said.
So, be safe, practice good health habits and take warnings about the virus seriously. This is no laughing matter.
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Aberdeen American News, March 7
Are you ready for the rewards of fostering?
Foster families are something special.
Just look at reporter Elisa Sand’s story on the front page for an idea of how selfless, generous and helpful they are. Crucial, even.
It’s easy to come up with reasons not to be a foster family, and it’s certainly not for everybody. But many of the obstacles some of us see aren’t really valid obstacles at all.
“The biggest objection I always hear is … ” Brian La Croix started before his wife Debra finished his thought.
“I would be too sad. I would love them too much,” she said.
It would likely be profoundly sad to take a child into your home, grow to know and love that young person and live and learn together for weeks, months or even years before he or she gets to return home. But that’s the job. And the goal. That means success. So thank heaven there are people willing to answer the call.
Watertown foster parent Andrea Shupe shares the calling with the La Croix family of Aberdeen. The arguments against being a foster parent just don’t wash to her.
“These kids, when they are put into the system, they didn’t have a say. They’re young kids. … Why wouldn’t I go through that minor heartache and be that stability for them, that love for them, so they can see what it’s like to be in a stable environment and what it should be like when they go back,” she said.
In other words, it’s about the kids.
Brian La Croix was certainly clear about that.
“It’s not about you, it’s about them. You’re there to provide a safe environment for them until they can go back home,” he said.
South Dakota has a shortage of foster families. And that certainly doesn’t set us apart from other places.
But providing love and stability - and maybe even safety and regular meals - to kids who might not know those things is one of the finest services we can think of.
It takes money, even though the state helps. It takes time. It involves allowing strangers in your home. It involves calls to and from the state and others. It’s not exactly convenient.
There’s no way - no possible way - it’s not heartbreaking at times.
But it’s so much more. It’s allowed the La Croixs to expand their family. In all, they have adopted seven children. Two sibling groups they initially fostered.
They wouldn’t foster let alone adopt young people if there wasn’t ample reward.
So here’s the question: Is that reward something you would be interested in? Do you have the heart to help? The patience? The strength? The room in your home? If you think you might, it’s time to have a serious talk with your spouse, if you have one. But being single doesn’t preclude you from fostering. Shupe is single.
“It’s totally doable,” she said. “I have my village of love and support, and that’s all I need.”
She, too, is part of a village of love and support. Foster families exemplify those traits, or at least they should. There’s no price tag that can be attached to the service they provide. If things go well, they are repaid in love.
That’s a pretty great currency. Sometimes it seems the world is running a little short of it. So who can blame those who want to hoard it?
Foster parenting isn’t for everybody. But it’s not just for those who are perfect or rich or married or “ready,” whatever that means.
It’s not just for pastors or doctors or counselors or those who are already parents.
If you think it might be for you, call the state Department of Social Services or visit fosterone.sd.gov. Or reach out to the La Croixs or Shupe or a foster family you might know. We feel sure they’ll be happy to visit with you.
South Dakota has a need for foster families. It’s not easy work, but it sure is important. Maybe you can help make a difference in the lives of children.
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Madison Daily Leader, March 3
Making a case to shorten early voting
We’ve all read that today is “Super Tuesday,” the day when 14 states cast primary ballots to nominate candidates for the Democratic nominee for president.
One of biggest of those states is Texas, which allows early voting, sometimes known as “no-excuse absentee voting.” South Dakota also allows early voting.
About 700,000 Texas voters voted before Super Tuesday, which became a problem when two prominent Democratic primary candidates — Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg — dropped out. Voters who cast their ballots for those two candidates essentially wasted their vote.
We’ve written in this space before about early voting regret, in which voters change their minds about candidates, usually based on new information or some other factor.
The reasons for allowing voting before election day include a planned absence, avoiding long lines, or other reasons of convenience. Supporters say more people vote when offered this convenience, and they are probably correct.
But we believe the voting window is too wide: In South Dakota, voters can vote as early as 46 days before an election. For this year’s presidential election, a South Dakota voter could cast a ballot as early as Sept. 18. A lot of things could happen in the last six and a half weeks. There may be a particular speech, debate or event that causes a voter to think differently about a candidate.
For some local elections, campaigning doesn’t even start until after Labor Day. Do we want them to be forced to campaign earlier?
We heard an alternative idea yesterday, which would be clearly impractical. A Texas voter who had voted early for Klobuchar suggested that a voter would vote for up to three candidates in order of preference. If the top choice drops out of the race, the second choice would be counted. We don’t think it would work at all.
We believe in early voting, but just not so early. A more reasonable time frame — like two weeks — should be able to accommodate virtually everyone. Maybe add a provision that a person could vote a little earlier than that with a reason, like traveling for that entire period. That’s the way all absentee voting used to be handled, and could be used again.
We think legislators in future years should considered making changes to South Dakota early voting protocols to improve the process.
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