Letters: State’s quarantine rules need to be revised; UHERO’s UH analysis may not be objective; Reopen library, find new space for UI work

A friend who was fully vaccinated, with a negative COVID-19 test from a trusted partner taken 72 hours in advance of flying to Hawaii, was quarantined the full 10 days because the test result came in the next morning.

Trusted partners do not guarantee test results within any specific time frame. It could take up to five days.

Hawaii does not allow shortening of the quarantine.

Quarantine concerns keep travelers away while the travel industry and the economy suffer.

Safety need not be compromised. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines allow interstate travel for those fully vaccinated. At minimum, once someone has his or her negative test result, there should be a website or number to call so the traveler does not have to quarantine for the entire time.

To be fully vaccinated, have a negative test result and have to quarantine for one’s whole vacation is ridiculous. The current policy needs revision.

Andrea Hantman

Kaneohe

UHERO’s UH analysis may not be objective

Kimberly Burnett, an economist with the University of Hawaii Research Organization (UHERO), said the organization’s analysis of cuts to UH’s budget is pretty cut-and-dried, using a state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism input-output model (“University of Hawaii budget cuts to reverberate throughout local economy,” Star-Advertiser, May 23).

Models are not infallible. Models are based on certain assumptions that can be tweaked; therefore models contain the bias of those who do the tweaking. Some may question the study’s findings, due to a potential conflict of interest because UHERO is part of UH. Burnett, who led the study, tried to deflect the criticism by saying, “It’s really just an accounting exercise.”

This explanation doesn’t resolve the conflict in my mind, but makes me question the validity of UHERO’s analysis.

Bert Oshiro

Hawaii Kai

Make sure health care workers are vaccinated

Do you think you’re 100% safe from COVID-19 at a doctor’s office, clinic or hospital?

Most health care workers in Hawaii have been vaccinated against COVID-19. But it’s not required of medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses; or of paraprofessionals, such as certified nursing assistants, home health aides, physical therapists, dialysis technicians and all sorts of imaging technicians. It’s not even required of the person giving you the vaccine. It’s highly recommended, but not required.

Hopefully, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration upgrades the COVID-19 vaccine from emergency use authorization to FDA-approved, it will be required of health care professionals and paraprofessionals. (They already are required to receive eight other vaccines.)

Until then, you don’t know for sure whether the health care worker about to treat you has been vaccinated against COVID-19, unless you ask. Most will answer, “Yes.” But if the answer is, “No, I haven’t been vaccinated,” you might want to request someone else.

Nada Mangialetti

Kapolei

Nurses work tirelessly to protect public health

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic overshadowed many of life’s events and celebrations in 2020 and 2021, while giving the nursing profession an opportunity to demonstrate through action why “The Year of the Nurse” had been designated by the World Health Organization in 2020 and extended into 2021 by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

I had the privilege of working together with the Hawaii Department of Health’s public health nurses in their mission to uphold the ANA’s principles of excellence, leadership and innovation as they quietly and efficiently worked with our many sociocultural communities to ensure public health and safety in the face of a lethal virus.

The public health nurses, already adept at constructing and managing outreach and vaccination clinics, partnered with various agencies to provide safe spaces, guidance, education, vaccinations, food, supplies and many other services to those in need in our community. All respect is due this cohort of hardworking professionals for standing strong in their ministry during the most dangerous of times in health care.

Claire P. Santos, M.S., RN, NHDP-BC

Punchbowl

Mobile clinic will help students get their shots

I think it’s a great idea to bring the vaccines to the public high schools (“Vaccine bus continues tour of schools,” Star-Advertiser, May 23). Many public high school kids don’t have the opportunity to get the vaccine, but this mobile clinic allows them to get the vaccination easily.

Some kids may not have access to the internet, their parents may be busy, or they don’t know how to sign up. Since they’re bringing it to the schools, I believe a lot of students will want to get the vaccination. This will allow Hawaii to have more vaccinated people and hopefully bring the case numbers down.

Zach Tanabe

Waikele

Reopen library, find new space for UI work

Please, could someone open the Hawaii State Library?

I understand that the state Labor Department is using it for unemployment issues, and I would not want to interfere with needed unemployment benefits, but 15% of commercial office space in downtown Honolulu is now vacant. Why can’t the department move to a commercial space and let library patrons have their library back?

It has been shown that COVID-19 is hard to spread by surfaces, and the library could allow in only a set amount of patrons at a time. I love to browse the library stacks. Also, the McCully- Moiliili library has been under construction forever with no noticeable change to its facade. Just like Thomas Square: fenced off forever but when you look inside, it looks like it always has.

It is time to review construction projects in town. Are they accomplishing anything?

Judith Pettibone

Makiki

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