From the Fringe … Why not take Dr. Harada's advice?

I won’t pretend I understand. I won’t say I get it when it comes to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, or the anti-vaxx movement in general. In fact, I don’t really understand any of the pushback against the biggest public health crisis we’ve seen in more than 100 years.

I admit, to me, it’s a head scratcher.

But, I’m also not interested in arguing or fighting about it either. And I truly don’t expect people to listen to me. I’m not a doctor or a scientist. I’m just somebody who cares about his community and the human race.

But I do know a doctor right here in Havre, and I don’t see why people wouldn’t listen to him.

Dr. Kevin Harada, the chief of staff at Northern Montana Hospital is someone I feel we can all benefit from by listening to.

Why? Because Dr. Harada has no ulterior motive. Dr. Harada has no hidden agenda. No, he cares about our health, and the health and safety of our community and the hospital that he oversees. That’s it. There’s nothing else to it, and that’s why his advice about COVID vaccines, masks and mitigation, and everything else with this pandemic, not only can be trusted, but should be heeded.

When it comes to vaccines, Hill County, NMH and Bullhook Clinic have done an incredible job of getting the vaccine going. In the last four months I can say I know more people who have either been vaccinated or are on the list to get vaccinated than haven’t. But, at the same time, now that supply is going up, we’ll start seeing just how many eligible people are either hesitant to get it, or who don’t intend to get it at all. And by simple math, to truly do our part to get this thing all the way over with, we need more people to step up and get the shot. We’re not where we need to be. We need people to take Dr. Harada and other medical experts advice when they say the shot is not only the way out of this mess once and for all, but also completely safe and highly effective.

I’ve said it time and time again, and I haven’t been wrong yet. If we want to see FULL football stadiums, FULL gymnasiums, FULL classrooms, FULL hallways, FULL movie theaters, FULL amusement parks, and on and on, then we’re going to have to get this pandemic over with, not halfway, not some of the way, and not just over for people who are vaccinated, but all the way over. And at this point, the world has to vaccine its way out. There’s no other way. It’s not going to just disappear.

Want to stop wearing masks? Well, we’re going to have to get this pandemic ALL the way over with or you’re still going to see masks.

And while we’re on the subject of masks, it’s no secret I think we dropped the mask mandate in Montana and in Hill County way too soon. Again, I wish people could see that I don’t want to tell anyone what to do. And I certainly don’t wear a mask because somebody, or anybody is telling me what to do. I’m wearing one for the health and safety of us all, and I wear one now because I just want to do my part to help get this thing over with. And I think we should still have a mask requirement because it’s not over, and I don’t want to see another surge in Havre and in Hill County, and looking at the numbers rising in other parts of the state, I’m scared that’s exactly what’s going to happen if we don’t do the simple things we now know work to stop it, and the main one is, wearing a mask where it's warrented.

But again, I do not expect anyone to listen to me, and again, I’m not telling anyone what to do. But, why not listen to Dr. Harada?

I’ve known Dr. Harada for a long time. First and foremost, I know what a good person he is. And that’s enough for me to take his advice. But I also know what a good doctor he is, and I also know how much he cares about his home town, and the health and safety of its residents. I know how dedicated he is to his profession, and his profession is caring for others.

In other words, when it comes to the vaccine, and masks, and this pandemic, Dr. Harada is someone we should listen to. He is someone who has our best interests at heart. He’s someone who can definitely help us all find our way out of this. If his advice is listened to, we truly can make it to the light at the end of the tunnel.