By Dr. Brian Mitchell
Guest Columnist
It is our solemn duty to send you this urgent message.
The COVID-19 pandemic is widespread in our region. The Delta variant is now the most prevalent. It is most contagious and more lethal than the original virus. It sickens and kills both old and young people, including children.
The number of our citizens infected with the present COVID virus is higher in our region than when thepandemic first reached us early in 2020. It particularly infects those who are unvaccinated. It is now widespread in our schools.
Some vaccinated people may get breakthrough infection, but those infections are most often mild. Unvaccinated people are much more likely to get infected and to become seriously ill or die.
Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital is at maximum capacity. Our emergency room, intensive care unit and medical wards are full. Most patients in our hospital are COVID patients. Most are on oxygen therapy, many are on ventilators, all have life-threatening disease and some have died.
Our hospital leadership is doing all they can to respond to this crisis. Our staff is struggling with the enormous day-to-day task of caring for their patients, putting their own lives at risk to do so. They are our heroes, and their response to COVID has been tremendous.
You, our patients and our fellow citizens, must make a similar response to this unprecedented and dangerous health-care crisis. You must get vaccinated.
The COVD vaccines are safe and effective. So far, more than 363 million doses of COVID vaccines have been administered in the United States with rare serious side effects.
The vaccine development was careful and successful. The clinical trials proved we should all be vaccinated, with very few exceptions. Even those who have had COVID infection should be vaccinated.
Wearing masks by everyone, except infants, is most helpful to reduce our COVID risks. Vaccinations, above all, are the only way we can defeat the COVID virus and permanently protect those we love.
Here is the list of signatories to the COVID statement to local media:
Dr. Tom Clayton, MD
Chief of Staff, EWCH
Dr. Jeff Martin, MD
Vice Chief of Staff, EWCH
Dr. Vincente Hill, MD, Medical Director Emergency Department, EWCH
Dr. Jillian Irwin, MD, MPH
Dr. Brian Mitchell, MD
Dr. Stephen Rubendall, MD
Dr. Jonathan Powell, MD, FACC,
cardiovascular diseases
Dr. Charles Watras, MD
Dr. Ruslan Garcia, MD, MS
Kristen Shuler, NP
Stacie Gilmore, MD
Dee Lowery, PA-C
George Heilner, LPA psychologist
Paige Brinke, PA-C
Kathyrn Waggoner, DO, pediatrician
Teresa Heavner, MD
Jill Brinke, MD
Judith Wikstrom, FNP, retired
Kimberly Cowan, CRNA-anesthesia
Will Cowan, CRNA-anesthesia
Jessica Wikstrom-McLamb,
CRNA-anesthesia
Gary Roper, MD
Dena Snead, DO
Nancy Cheeks, FNP-C
Ann Rymer, CRNA-anesthesia
Kelly Hyde, PA-C
Rhett H. Scott, CRNA-anesthesia
Branda Snowman, AGACNP
Terry Fokakis, DO
Joseph H. Keffer, MD, pathologist, retired
Audrey Konigsberg, PA-C
Wendy Corso, DNP
David Badger, Cherokee County Health Department director
David Brown, publisher & editor of the Cherokee Scout, also endorses this letter.