Pastor’s Corner: Still Not Over

June 15, 2022

The latest information from the Department of Health indicates that this “spring wave” of COVID-19 may be receding. At its peak toward the end of May, they reported as many new cases per day as they did last August at the height of the Delta variant.

Although the overall numbers seem to be falling, my own experience is that a number of people I know have fallen ill with COVID-19 in the last couple of weeks. Some live far away, others in the Hawaiian Islands, and some nearby in Hilo. I can’t be entirely sure, but it definitely feels like more people I know are sick with COVID now than at any other time during the pandemic.

Dear friends, I keep hoping that it’s “over.” It isn’t over.

Global pandemics do not respond to the wishes and the pronouncements of human beings, I’m afraid. They respond to public health safeguards and to environmental conditions.

The most important thing you can do to protect your health and the health of those you love is to make sure that your vaccination is current. The Centers for Disease Control recommend COVID-19 vaccines, including at least one booster, for everyone 5 years of age or older. The second booster is recommended for adults over 50 and for people with moderate or severe immune system disorders over age 12. These vaccines reduce the chances of contracting the infection and dramatically reduce the severity of illness if one does get infected.

We know the other precautions well – and they’re still worth taking. Do what you can to promote ventilation of rooms and homes. Keep physical distance. Reduce the amount of time spent in close contact. Wear a mask when in public.

Be careful of your health. Be careful of your neighbor’s health. Take care.

With aloha,

Pastor Eric

Photo: Army Spc. Angel Laureano holds a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Md., Dec. 14, 2020. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando, Public Domain)