We are in a very sad period here in Eastern Oregon.

We have a vicious human disease circulating that is getting worse as the more virulent and/or transmissible variants evolve.

We have a stunningly low rate of use of the most basic tool for disease control — vaccination — so the probability of the epidemic being perpetuated and continuing to evolve into worsening forms and causing more sickness and death is increasing day by day. In Umatilla County, the vaccination rate as of Thursday is 35.1%, so about two-thirds of the people we meet are not protected and are potential carriers of COVID-19 and potential dangers to everyone with whom they associate. Additionally, our case numbers are rising.

What has happened to us as a culture? Where has the idea of mutual cooperation for problem solving gone? What has happened to our sense of community responsibility? How has it come to be that we do not care enough for each other that almost two-thirds of us ignore the concept of the basic common sense to protect ourselves from a potentially lethal disease and the common courtesy to assure others that we will protect them from us if we are infected?

I am a veterinarian. I’ve been the state veterinarian of Oregon, and the regulatory work done by that office is the animal equivalent of Public Health for the human side of the health equation. I know from experience that a lot of people do not appreciate being “regulated” and consider the statutes and rules about health for both humans and/or livestock to be either unnecessary or too restrictive. But as the state vet, and working with livestock owners and ranchers all over the state, when the reasons for the regulations were clearly explained and they understood the “whys,” they cooperated. On the human side, the “whys” have been clearly explained and the reasons are good. So what has happened?

We are tremendously fortunate to have access to excellent public health and to well proven, safe and effective disease prevention tools and control strategies. But if we do not use them, the disease wins. We have immediate access to the three most basic control methods — prevention of airborne virus by use of masks, prevention of contact by use of social distancing and prevention of infection by use of vaccination.

And now, the most vulnerable group is our children — and grandchildren — for whose health, welfare and future is our responsibility. This is a serious situation, and vaccination for them is currently not available. The only avenue to protect them from infection and terrible debilitation is to prevent infection in ourselves, and isn’t that a rather serious responsibility that all of us really need to accept? The kids have no choice. We adults do.

Please, friends — let’s not make our wonderful and beloved Eastern Oregon a dangerous place to live. Please use the tools we have for prevention and control. Please do not jeopardize our children. The vaccines are safe to use and efficacious — they are proven to be safe and to work well. The side effects for millions and millions of people have been negligible — maybe a tiny bit of soreness at the vaccination site.

We have responsibility for one another. We need to protect ourselves and to protect each other. We need to cooperate together as an entire American culture and community to eliminate this terrible disease and terminate the pandemic — and it takes each and every one of us to accomplish that goal.

And we need to ensure that our lovely place to live here in Eastern Oregon is a place of safety and peace.