Letters: The public deserves COVID-19 transparency; Thank the teachers who inspire you

The public deserves COVID-19 transparency

Usually when one branch of government demands transparency from another, a cynic could view it as a pot-kettle situation and move on. Actually, the demand by Republicans in the state legislature for more transparency from Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, regarding his COVID-19 decisions doesn’t go far enough.

Nothing begs for more transparency than the limited information about COVID-19 cases provided by the state. Privacy is not the issue. We the people have a right to know where the virus has struck — and the more detail we are given the better.

I don’t expect names, but I would like to know not just ZIP codes, but the municipality of each case and where the person worked and played. Did the person work in the post office or at our favorite grocery store? Was it someone who jogs in my neighborhood? What is the person’s age? Health issues?

Republicans should be demanding a full accounting for the people.

Thank the teachers who inspire you

Teachers give us so much. When we struggled in class, they were there to lend us a helping hand. When our kids are having a terrible day, their teachers are ready with welcoming smiles and encouraging words. Every day, they inspire all of us to achieve great things.

It’s National Teacher Appreciation Week May 4-8, and I invite you to join me to say thank you to the teachers who inspire you. At this difficult time in our nation’s history, we need our teachers more than ever.

Thank them for stepping up in this pandemic to make sure students continue to learn, and for what they do all year round to give our kids opportunities at success.

As a teacher myself, I’m proud to be part of a profession that puts students first every day. And as president of the largest union of teachers and education professionals in Pennsylvania, I can’t thank our teachers enough. They are changing the world one student at a time and building a brighter future for all of us.

Unbiased comparison between COVID-19 treatments needed

I find it very interesting that Dr. Fauci came out very quickly regarding the use of Remdesivir as a therapy that reduces the time in the hospital for COVID-19 treatment. He was clearly not supporting either the use of HCQ or heard immunity. The complete report by FDA indicates that Remdesivir is not the vaccine that Dr. Fauci was initially pushing rather it is only a therapy, as is HCQ. I did not see or hear Dr. Fauci or Dr. Birx provide data that compared the two therapies or the cost of therapy although the Remdesivir manufacturers claim they will provide a very large number of free medications to the federal government for distribution. HCQ is very inexpensive so what will be the open market cost for Remdesivir?

Seems like there is a reluctance by Dr. Fauci to provide the data needed to do a scientific medical and cost comparison. What agency is going to do such a study to obtain such an unbiased comparison?

Wolf vetoed bill with ‘life-saving amendment’

This is in response to a letter supporting the telemedicine bill passed by the PA House and Senate and vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf because it contained a life-saving amendment that would not allow abortion drugs to be given to a woman over the internet. There is a reason the FDA does not support giving this drug because of the dangers to the woman’s health connected with a drug that would cause an abortion without direct medical oversight. This is the job of the FDA to be sure any drug is safe for the public.

The governor, bowing to the powerful abortion industry, vetoed a bill that would have allowed the vast majority of Pennsylvanians internet access to medical attention, especially needed during this pandemic. This drug is not healing “medicine,” it is a drug that takes a human life. This is not health care.