TENDING THEIR FLOCKS Protect Over-60 Members Who Are At Highest Risk By JOHN A. MACHOLZ • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com In Luke, Jesus calls his followers to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents. It is now time for us to be wise as we follow the One who brings hope and healing to our lives and world. I am announcing the cessation of “in person” worship in this synod beginning March 15 and continuing for at least…
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Columns - Page 91
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER This Is What ‘Worst’ May Look Like By LARRY BENNETT • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com According to the CDC, from Oct. 1, 2019, through March 7, 2020, an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 Americans died from seasonal flu-related illnesses. That’s out of 36 million to 51 million total flu illnesses. It appears that seasonal flu vaccines have mitigated the numbers, as have some people’s immunity, as well as having fully staffed and equipped medical facilities at the…
TENDING THEIR FLOCKS Catholics Should Pitch In To Flatten Disease’s Curve By EDWARD B. SCHARFENBERGER • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Due to growing concerns and medical advice related to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in social settings, Bishop Scharfenberger has announced that all regularly scheduled public Masses in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany – except weddings and funerals – will be canceled until further notice. Churches will, however, remain open for private prayer, pending further regulations. In addition, all Confirmations…
MONEY TALK Nothing To Fear – But Flu Itself Are you frightened by this virus? You should be. Consider these scary figures please. Consider up to 45 million Americans infected by this virus. Yes, 45 million!!! With three exclamation points! Consider from 350,000 to 560,000 Americans so sick with it they have to be hospitalized. And consider from 18,000 to 46,000 people dying from the virus. This, according to our Center for Disease Control. These figures describe the situation in…
VIEW FROM WEST DAVENPORT NYC Looking Upstate To Solve Its Problems By MICHAEL ZAGATA • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Most of you will recall the contentious debate between those who wanted the right to frack for natural gas beneath their property and those who wanted fracking banned. A foundation paid lawyers to visit towns and help them draft language prohibiting the practice of fracking within their jurisdictions under the aegis of “home rule.” Concerned citizens, fearing ground water contamination, pressured the…
We’re all In This Together Otsego County’s Allocation Of COVID-19 Testing Kits? 3. Reports about the coronavirus offer hugely differing opinions. That the facts are in dispute isn’t surprising, since this is a novel virus that health systems around the world are fighting for the first time. Still, some facts are agreed on. As of March 1, the World Health Organization reported 87,000 confirmed cases, 2,989 deaths, and cases in 60 countries. 80,000 cases are confirmed in China with the…
Front Porch Perspective Avast, Maties! Nope, I’m still not sitting on my front porch, laptop frozen to my lap. After I spot a first crocus, maybe I’ll try writing out there again. I’m old and maybe a bit ditsy – but not nuts. Meanwhile, last week some whimsical friends did find a way to distract themselves from the winter. They organized a pirate party and held it at our house. And what, you ask, is that? Why it’s an indeterminate…
The View From Albany Repeal Flawed ‘Green Light’ Law One of the more controversial pieces of legislation signed into law last year was the “Green Light” Law, allowing illegal immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses. Presented by its supporters as the “same law” adopted in other states, New York’s version contained a provision that prevents the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other border-protection agencies from accessing records contained in the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) – something no other…
Coronavirus May Be No Deadlier Than Flu Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt of an editorial, co-written by Anthony Fauci, director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other experts, that appears in the current edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. A degree of clarity is emerging from this report, (“Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China,” Li Q. Guan X and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 29.) The median age of the patients was 59…
VIEW FROM ALBANY COVID-19 Is Here. But It’s Not NY’s First Rodeo As you may have heard, last night we learned of the first confirmed case of novel coronavirus – or Covid 19 – in New York State. The patient is a woman in her late 30s who was traveling abroad in Iran, where there is an outbreak of the virus. Her condition is mild, and she is currently isolated in her home in Manhattan. From the beginning, we have…