LETTER: 70 percent solution

Jefferson County Health Officer Tom Locke called our local COVID-19 turmoil, “a bifurcation where the unvaccinated will likely become infected in the next six months.”

Is this more than another tear in our peninsula’s social fabric?

If we refuse to grasp the serious consequences of this life-and-death struggle, then where do we turn to close the deal?

Clallam County statistics currently show we are at 64 percent of the population vaccinated with at least one dose, 12 years and older.

To be clear, many of those still hesitant to vaccinate are looking for assurance and leadership from those they respect in our community.

To that effect: pastors, ministers, priests, rabbis and Imams should all be preaching a convergence of love for neighbor with the gospel of vaccination, each and every week they gather for the next month.

A redundancy effort to rival our best computer science.

Do we really need more free shotguns, beers, books or raffle tickets to close this gap?

A mountain of lavender won’t do the trick.

Reaching that magic 70 percent threshold will take religious leadership that acknowledges both a congregations’ healing and engagement in a world that cannot be avoided.

And if all else fails, let’s try one more incentive — the future success and well-being of every student this fall.

David Clark

Port Angeles