Some area residents who favor or oppose requiring citizens to get vaccinated for protection from COVID-19 spoke at a forum in Danville Tuesday evening.
Tony Wait, a volunteer firefighter in Oakwood, is concerned about emergency responders who might not want to get the COVID shots….
{AUDIO: ‘’I don’t think the government fully understands or appreciates all the repercussions because – who are you going to call when these people lose their jobs because they don’t want to get this vaccine? And it’s not that they’re not willing to take a risk for public safety. It’s an unnecessary risk in my eyes.’’}
State Representative Mike Marron of Fithian has been disappointed with the way state mandates regarding COVID have been handled….
{AUDIO: ‘’One of my biggest frustrations through this entire process – being a State Representative – I’ve felt like the people that have been making decisions – from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Governor’s Office – have not consulted people on a local level. They haven’t consulted us as elected representatives of all of you. And it’s been very hard because I’ve always taken this very seriously.’’}
The comments came at a forum at the David S. Palmer Arena that was organized by Father Timothy Sauppe of St. Mary’s Church in Westville. Father Sauppe said he – personally organized it, and the forum was not connected to the church. Father Sauppe was earlier hospitalized for eight days with COVID-19. He said that for five weeks it left him ‘weak as a kitten’.
The forum occurred as new numbers were released showing 103 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in Vermilion County. There are currently 356 active COVID cases in the county, according to new figures from the Vermilion County Health Department. There are currently 18 county residents hospitalized with COVID, one of whom is fully vaccinated. There have been 192 COVID-related deaths in Vermilion County since the pandemic began, and a total of 13,516 positive cases of COVID in the county since the pandemic started. The latest COVID-related death is a woman in her 70s who is among the numbers in Tuesday’s report.
Vermilion County Health Department Administrator Douglas Toole told those attending Tuesday evening’s forum at the Palmer Arena that the battle against COVID continues….
{AUDIO: ‘’From my vantage point, COVID-19 has hit our community hard. And we are responding to it with the help of our local partners, and with the help of some state and federal resources. Higher vaccination rates against COVID, against the flu, against shingles, and against whooping cough will help protect residents of our long-term care facilities. It will help to keep our children in schools, and it will help to keep our workforce at their jobs.’’
You can check the Vermilion County Health Department’s website, www.vchd.org, for information about upcoming COVID vaccination clinics. Toole notes local hospitals – OSF, Carle and the VA – along with pharmacies, Aunt Martha’s, and some private providers are also offering COVID vaccination clinics, as well.
