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MASKS: Way better than this

| August 12, 2020 1:00 AM

Kudos to Jennifer Drake and her letter asking us to follow PHD’s mask mandate. She is right, our elected officials have let us down. If the mayors of cities in Kootenai County had issued a joint mandate with PHD, I do not think there would be so many people running around refusing to wear masks.

I live in Leisure Park, a retirement development in Hayden. I would like to share parts of a letter in our August LP newsletter. It was taken from an article on Facebook.

“For people who do not understand what it is like to be on a ventilator — for starters it is not an oxygen mask. Ventilation for Covid-19 is a painful intubation that goes down your throat and stays there till you live or die. The patient cannot eat, drink or talk. The machine keeps you alive. After 20 days from this treatment a YOUNG patient loses 40% muscle mass, gets trauma in the mouth or vocal cords, as well as possible lung or heart complications. It is for this reason the old and/or already weak can’t always stand the treatment and die.

“This is NOT the flu. They put a tube in your stomach, sticky bags around your butt to collect diarrhea and urine. Teams of nurses have to move your limbs every 2 hours while you are on an ice cold mat, to help reduce your 104 degree temperature. All this while no one can visit you. You will be alone in your room, or your mother, father, son, daughter husband or wife will be. But you think wearing a mask is too uncomfortable or humiliating???”

Please listen to the health care professionals. We seniors would greatly appreciate it.

SHARON McINTURFF

Hayden