Angry in COVID-19 quarantine about those who helped put me here: Dave Lange

Quarantines, nose swab testing, young children who can't be vaccinated facing heightened risk because of spread of the delta variant, with the adult unvaccinated contributing to that spread -- these are the things that make Dave Lange, isolating after possible COVID exposure, angry. He shares some of those thoughts in a guest column today.
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LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- I’m in isolation. My wife and several members of our extended family have tested positive for COVID-19 after developing flu-like symptoms. Although I remain asymptomatic, I probably have it, too.

I tested negative a couple weeks ago after coming in contact with one relative who developed symptoms the following day. But with the subsequent spread of infection and positive tests, contact tracing has resulted in isolation instructions from health officials.

All of us have been vaccinated against this deadly pandemic –- except for the littlest one among us, that is. Like the rest of us, even he has been wearing a mask indoors when in public. He never complained about it. And once the medical scientists determine through their painstaking research that young children can safely receive the vaccines, he surely will do so.

I’m angry. The reason that this unvaccinated child has suffered some disquieting consequences is that many members of our society choose to elevate the falsehoods of social media above the truth of science.

This summer, thanks to the vaccines that greatly diminished the spread of COVID, we became optimistic about a return to normalcy. We were able to share in the smiles and laughter of children on the beach and new playground at Edgewater Park. We went shopping at the West Side Market, dined out in the Flats, wet our whistles at the Great Lakes Brewing Co. -- you know, interacted with our fellow human beings.

But now, we’re not so sure. Our country is heading backwards. COVID’s delta variant is taking a heavy toll. Infections, hospitalizations and deaths are skyrocketing.

Because my adult family members and I are vaccinated, we are highly unlikely to end up dead or in intensive care. I’m thankful for that. But little children are not immune. More of them are suffering and dying, because too many people just do not care.

The politicized resistance to vaccinations and mask-wearing is the root cause of this rising toll.

We are at war against this pandemic. There were times when the people of America put aside their differences and did what’s right to battle our common enemies. Today’s spoiled spoilers have no concept of the sacrifices that our forefathers made on the home front during the 20th-century’s world wars. Our country united its political divisions following 9/11 and uniformly supported the invasion of Afghanistan that finally has ended nearly 20 years later.

Dave Lange, pictured holding his 2018 memoirs, served with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam.

Instead of coming together to fight this much deadlier attack, anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers have been verbally assaulting doctors and nurses who dare to treat patients. They terrorize teachers and school administrators who dare to protect students. They threaten political leaders who dare to lead. The people who actually put their lives on the line in our hospitals, those who want to keep children safe in our schools, those who stand up for truth have become the enemies of science deniers.

As a senior citizen, I’m especially thankful to be vaccinated. It’s because of the vaccine that my exposure to COVID now is highly unlikely to have serious health consequences.

I don’t like to wear a mask. I don’t enjoy social distancing. I sure as hell don’t want to self-quarantine. But I’m doing it, because I happen to care about my fellow human beings –- especially the innocent children who have no say in the matter and are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Yes, I am angry. I’m angry about the bogus whining for “freedom” coming from those who are afraid of science and vaccinations. I’m angry about the crocodile tears shed by certain parents over school mask mandates that hopefully will forestall a return to remote learning. I’m angry about those who are dividing our country.

Their freedom to reject science ends where others’ freedom to be healthy and alive begins. Every time I read or hear reports about anguishing children in intensive care, my blood boils.

Dave Lange was editor of the Chagrin Valley Times for 28 years before his 2016 retirement. In 2018, his memoir, “Virginity Lost in Vietnam,” was published. Lange, a veteran of the Vietnam War, was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2020.

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