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"[Washington] county is shirking its responsibility regarding public health. If the numbers are low, that will reassure the public. But how will anyone know to take more precautions if information is not reported."

The pandemic itself, as you indicate, is far from over. Perhaps it will recede in time; perhaps we'll experience another spike from a more-contagious variant producing a spike in hospitalizations and fatalities. We just don't know. What we do know is we're still unprepared for what's to come.

When it's finally all over, it still won't be over. Hundreds of thousands of children will have lost one or both parents or caregivers. Hundreds of thousands of others will struggle with the debilitating effects of long-Covid. Our health care providers — those who didn't burn-out and still remain on the job — are worn-out, working in a system that's struggling. This is also true in public health, a government service that's been revealed to be woefully under-funded and under-supported.

Worst of all, our country has been shown to fail at what any country needs to succeed and thrive: Work together in unity of purpose and strength to overcome adversity.

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