Are we underestimating the risks of long COVID-19?

Our leaders have chosen to use the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients to determine public mandates and restrictions.

However, as our COVID numbers rapidly increase, no policy changes have been instituted. The article, “Seniors’ long-COVID risk is high, studies suggest” (Star-Advertiser, May 26), said that 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older had at least one potential long-COVID health problem, compared with 1 in 5 younger adults.

Our knowledge of COVID has evolved over the past two-plus years. I am concerned that while we are not requiring mandates based on the current hospitalized COVID patient numbers, we are ignoring the fact that long COVID, occurring in up to 20% to 25% of adults, is not unusual and may result in unnecessary future morbidity, including chronic medical conditions, higher long-term medical costs and economic costs from the inability to work.

No one has a crystal ball, but surely masking, as has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is not too onerous a burden when indoors or in high-risk situations.

Michael Ling

Waialae Iki

Baby formula maker needs to be reined in

Abbott Nutrition was inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2019 and was found to be woefully deficient keeping its production lines sanitary when making baby formulas. It’s strange that rather than invest in cleaning up these deficiencies, Abbott decided to use $3 billion to buy back stocks in October of the same year.

When one company provides 40% of the baby formula in the United States, it should be forced to provide safe, sanitary products. Otherwise, this company should be broken up into several different companies that all compete for consumers’ business. Competition will give consumers safe products at lower prices.

Sandra Barker

Hawaii Kai

Life more important than right to own guns

The murders in Uvalde, Texas, are another example of America’s gun obsession. This year, we average one school shooting a week.

No other industrialized country comes close to our level of gun carnage. We alone tolerate daily gun violence taking so many lives.

Why? Look at U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, who declared we should not limit gun access just because grade-school kids and their teachers got murdered. This is the Republican answer to every mass shooting.

Gun advocates trumpet the Second Amendment, ignoring the first right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence: the right to life. But today’s Republicans choose the freedom of killers to get guns over the lives of school children.

Enough! The right to life is more important than the right to blaze away with an assault rifle.

Dan Lindsay

Hilo

Don’t put off repairs to Convention Center

Putting off maintenance will not make the problems go away. I was glad to see the editorial encouraging repair of the Hawai‘i Convention Center roof (“Convention Center needs roof repairs,” Star-Advertiser, Our View, May 25). Conventions bring tourists who stay in the hotels, buy goods in the retail stores and eat in the restaurants. It would be in Hawaii’s best interest to have a meeting place that offers a pleasant place to meet out of the sun and rain. Residents might enjoy it also.

And think of what a draw a Center for Hawaiian Music and Dance could be.

Arlene Woo

Makiki

Kissinger wrong about ceding Ukraine lands

I am amazed at the remarks by Henry Kissinger that Ukraine should make peace with Russia by ceding the Ukraine territory occupied by Russia. Here is a man who played a political chess game in Vietnam and the Middle East, and is responsible for the continued oppression of Palestinians for decades. Kissinger’s remarks indicate that he remains a master “diplomat” to the core, asking Ukraine to make peace at any cost. His mindset has not changed with age.

I applaud Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for standing up for what is right for his nation. Zelenskyy deserves the highest accolades for standing up for what is right in face of such adversity. Fortunately the West is willing to support Ukraine. The same cannot be said about Kissinger, who happily accepted a Nobel Peace Prize while the bombing of Vietnam and Cambodia continued.

Peace in eastern Europe will be achieved, but at a very high human cost on both the sides. The only equitable way to achieve lasting peace is by a change of the Russian regime, just restitution for Ukraine and punishment of all perpetrators.

Birendra Singh Huja

Kahala

Record of Logan’s son should have been known

Does it never stop? The brand-new police chief has not even had a chance to warm his chair when it is discovered that his son has a criminal background (“Incoming police chief’s son allegedly terrorized Waikiki homeowner,” Star-Advertiser, May 27).

At what point during the selection process was this disclosed? Why is the public only now finding out? How is this man going to reduce crime in the community when he can’t do it in his family?

Raleigh Ferdun

Manoa

New police chief needs to address gun violence

Yesterday would have been a great time for the incoming police chief to lead with a plan to stop the gun killings in Hawaii. He was elected by his peers who believe he is the man to lead us in a new dawn for the Honolulu Police Department (“Retired Maj. Gen. Arthur ‘Joe’ Logan is named new Honolulu police chief,” Star-Advertiser, May 24).

Get gun prevention policies going for the good of all who live and visit our state. We don’t need a TV cop, we need action yesterday.

Greg Tabasa

Moiliili

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