Reno County Commissioner Daniel P. Friesen
Below is my vaccination card.
If you look closely, I just got my first dose Wednesday of last week. Prior to my vaccination, like many, I had reservations about the vaccine - nothing specific, it just didn't seem worth it. I had Covid-19 last year and generally felt my risk was low. Those are similar reasons I’ve heard from other people that have chosen not to get the vaccine.
However, I felt compelled to get the vaccine if as a county commissioner, I’m going to support our health department and local medical community’s plea for you to get it too. While I certainly have strong convictions on personal freedom and choice, I am also a very analytical person that seeks facts and information and have never found my decisions on Covid-19 policy to be driven politically.
The latest information I have from our local hospital is that resources are again tight (related to many factors including a shortage of nurses), and hospitalized covid patients are increasing again. The situation is significant enough that many Kansas hospitals are again full and deferring patients elsewhere. This was a surprise to me and a large factor in this open letter to our community.
I believe our local health professionals when they say people are showing up at the hospital with life threatening covid symptoms who didn’t even know they were at risk. They also say they are now actively seeing younger covid patients as the virus naturally moves towards a population that is less vaccinated.
It seems quite possible that the Covid virus is here for a long time to come, and most every person will encounter it at some point. It is also quite evident that the virus and its impact is wildly unpredictable. These factors all look like risks to me, especially to those most vulnerable. You should weigh those risks with the Reno County commission’s current position on mandates.
I would not expect Reno County to require masks, limit gatherings, or close businesses or schools through this next wave. We have the right tools at our disposal to individually handle this threat and weather the storm the best we can. Most every adult and adolescent has an opportunity to get a potentially life-saving vaccine, stay home when they are sick or vulnerable to sickness, and do other common sense measures like listening to their family physician.
Yet, my fear is that people in our community are going to die because they did not get the vaccine or our medical resources become overwhelmed. I continue to respect the decision of those who choose not to get it, but I recently have come to respectfully disagree with those who argue the potential risk of the vaccine outweighs the value.
There seems to be good local evidence that vaccinated individuals currently have a hugely better likelihood of surviving contracting covid. Specifically, greater than 99% of all hospitalizations and deaths related to Covid-19 in Reno County are unvaccinated and we have yet to lose one person who was vaccinated. Consider that when you consider your risks.
You can choose to believe me or not, parse my words, or find information that supports an argument against what I have laid out above. It really does not matter because at the end of the day, those decisions are your own to make, and I am simply hopeful you consider the risk to yourself, your loved ones and your community in whatever you decide.
Finally, two important specific notes. One, vaccines are widely available to you today. Two, if you are a registered nurse who has time, please consider offering your skills to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center - Kayla Orellana (620) 665-2227. They are in increasing need for your help as Covid patient counts continue to rise.
Commissioner Daniel Friesen is vice-chair of the Reno County Commission. He was elected last November and took office in early January of this year. Friesen was previously a third-term mayor of the City of Buhler, holding that position for 11 years before joining the Commission.