Fargo

We’re all tired of COVID- 19 and the way we’ve had to adjust our lives. The trouble is, the virus is not tired of infecting us.

“I am sick of COVID,” said Fargo Dr. Grant Syverson, advocacy chair of the North Dakota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Us doctors and nurses, we’re all burned out. Still, we have to keep fighting.”

Meantime, North Dakota has had the most cases per capita in the nation, and hospitals in the region have never been this full.

A statement from nine major medical centers in Minnesota, which also serve North Dakotans, said, “Our emergency departments are overfilled and we have patients in every bed in our hospitals. This pandemic has strained our operations and demoralized many people on our teams.”

Still, we have badly let our guard down around here. Many North Dakotans foolishly refuse to get vaccinated.

The clueless antiscience North Dakota Legislature has passed bills that reduce vaccinations and mask wearing. Businesses have dropped mask requirements and few people here are wearing masks in shopping malls, big box stores, grocery stores, concerts or sporting events.

“We’re still in massive COVID denial here,” said Dr. Stephen McDonough, former longtime North Dakota Public Health Officer.

“Things are going poorly.

We’re much worse than the rest of the country.”

“I wish the community would step up,” said Dr. Tracie Newman, Health Officer of Fargo Cass Public Health and a vital member of the Fargo School Board. “We need to reprioritize what’s important. I wish adults were doing more.”

“Yes, we’ve jumped the gun,” said Dr. Chris Pribula, who has treated many COVID-19 patients at Sanford Hospital. “Omicron seems to be worse than delta. With community transmission this high, people should be wearing masks at inside gatherings.”

“Masks are a proven way to slow the spread in crowded indoor places,” Newman said.

A few area school districts demonstrated remarkable common sense in requiring masks in the schools. Those districts include Fargo, Moorhead and Grand Forks.

Now, contrary to the CDC’s position, those districts have dropped the mask requirements.

“I hope Fargo and the other schools reverse their decisions on masks,” Syverson said. “We’re going to have more kids with COVID because of the omicron variant.”

“It’s premature to drop the mask requirements in the schools,” McDonough said. “I’m very worried about omicron. More children will get sick. Not wearing a mask is like telling a person to play hockey without a helmet on.”

Making matters worse are the many patients who demand unproven treatments. “It’s frustrating,” Pribula said.

“Patients and their families with misinformation act like they know more than the doctors and scientists. They badger my nurses. It’s like going on an airplane and telling the pilot how to fly the plane.”

All four doctors say we must get fully vaccinated, wear masks and socially distance. As Syverson said, “We have to rely on each other to fight this disease.”

Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.