Calling for surgery reassessment pointless
Re: 鈥淚sland health patients suffering after cancelled surgeries could be deemed urgent cases,鈥� April 22.
All of us that had surgery cancelled are suffering. You have surgery for a reason, not for the fun of it. I called immediately to be reassessed and just got an answering machine message that stated please do not call about your surgery dates. Island Health, are the surgeons aware of your plans?
Medications that are given to help with the daily pain affect your body, too, the least of it being addiction. So please don鈥檛 give those of us waiting false hope.
What has been accomplished by telling people to call to be reassessed? A whole lot of us left behind in the dust of the COVID-19 pandemic are panicking to regain our position in a line that was way too long in the first place.
Suzanne Peach
Saanich
Stop treating campers as single group
The people living in tent cities in Victoria and elsewhere are a disparate group and treating them otherwise does them and the rest of us a disservice.
Some are people down on their luck and need financial and social support. We should give it to them and quickly so that they can return to society.
Some are people with mental illness due to drug and alcohol abuse or substance-abuse issues due to mental illness. If they are mentally ill to the extent that they are a danger to themselves or others, they should be taken into care willingly or unwillingly, just as you or I would be, and not released until they have completed treatment and are no longer a danger.
Some people simply don鈥檛 wish to work or otherwise contribute to society. They should be helped only in return for some worthwhile work. There is plenty to be found.
The proportion of them who are thieves or violent should be dealt with by the police in the same way you or I would be.
As long as we treat these people as a single group, those who need help will not get it and those who deserve punishment will not get it.
Stephan Larsson
Cobble Hill
Ken Curry鈥檚 story a聽tale of true sacrifice
Re: 鈥� 鈥楲ast man standing鈥� from Dieppe raid dies at 97,鈥� Jack Knox, April 23.
As I read the story of Ken Curry鈥檚 part in the botched Dieppe offensive, much of it in his own words, I was reminded again how much men such as himself sacrificed for many following generations in countries around the world.
Many young men never came home from battles on foreign soil as they fought to keep people at home safe.
So please remember this man and that part of history if you feel like complaining about being cooped up at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and can鈥檛 go out to bars and restaurants. It鈥檚 not that much of a sacrifice.
Mike Wilkinson
Duncan
We鈥檝e flattened the curve. What鈥檚 next?
I was disheartened to read that the Fireside Grill may not reopen because of COVID-19. Multiply that by thousands and you will have an accurate picture of B.C. in the coming months. But does it have to be that way?
We were asked by governments and health authorities to practise social distancing, hand-wash and stay home. We did. And the good news is that we have flattened the curve, which was the goal.
Now that we have flattened the curve, what鈥檚 next? Are government leaders and health officials going to wait until there are zero cases of COVID-19 before we get the green light to get back to work, school and our lives?
To date in Canada, 2,147 people have died of the coronavirus. Our population is more than 37 million people. That means that 0.01 per cent of people in Canada have died from COVID-19. The percentage of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is very high. How long are we going to let fear hold us hostage, economically, socially and physically?
Lia Fraser
Victoria
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