December Deadliest Month, Bond Says By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com With three deaths in two weeks, four people in the ICU and 16 hospitalized, Otsego County Public Health Director Heidi Bond has declared December to be the deadliest month of the COVID-19 pandemic so far. “Three deaths in a month is the most we’ve had,” she said. “Before that, it was two in April.” The victim, a woman over 55, had not been in the ICU, but had…
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LETTER from RICHARD STERNBERG Vaccines, Part I: Pfizer Into The Fray Many people have asked me to explain vaccines to them, and specifically the ones for COVID-19. They are most concerned with how they work, when they will be available, and if they will be safe. Hopefully, this column will help. The terms vaccine and vaccination derive from the Latin name Variola vaccinae, which means small pox of the cow. Vacca is Latin for cow. The term vaccine was first…
With 10th Death, County ‘Overwhelmed,’ Bond Says County Staffing Increased As Deaths, COVID Infections Keep Growing By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Help is on the way after county Public Health Director Heidi Bond lamented that her department is “overwhelmed.” “We’re barely keeping up with the cases coming in,” she said. “With contact tracing, that means you might not get a call if you’ve been identified as a close personal contact in a timely manner.” On Monday, Dec. 14,…
LETTER from MICHAEL JEROME Polio Fight Informs COVID Fight Editor’s Note: Michael Jerome of Cooperstown chairs the Polio Plus Committee of the Rotary E-Club of Global Trekkers, a role he played for years at the Cooperstown club. Sixty years ago, every parent in the western world feared their child would be afflicted with the crippling disease of polio. Vaccines developed by Drs. Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin enabled the U.S., Canada and several European countries to become polio free by…
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Acupuncture = Churches (Under Governor Cuomo’s COVID-19 regulations), churches and synagogues are limited to a maximum of 25 people. These restrictions apply even to the largest cathedrals and synagogues, which ordinarily hold hundreds. And the restrictions apply no matter the precautions taken, including social distancing, wearing masks, leaving doors and windows open, forgoing singing, and disinfecting spaces between services. At the same time, the Governor has chosen to impose no capacity restrictions on certain businesses he considers…
LETTER from NEW YORK STATE SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION 10 Per Table? A Step Too Far Editor’s Note: The New York State Sheriff’s Department issued this statement Monday, Nov. 23, saying local sheriffs lack the resources to enforce Governor Cuomo’s edict requiring that no more than 10 New Yorkers celebrate Thanksgiving together. This is an excerpt. Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order which limits “non-essential private residential gatherings” to no more than 10 individuals. That has caused great consternation among many of…
HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 Trunk Or Treat TRUNK OR TREAT – 4 p.m. Decorate your cars and bring the kids for fun activities from building a spider, pumpkin carving, make a ghost, and of course collecting candy. All stations are sanitized, 6 feet apart. The Railroad Inn, 28 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown. VOTE – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Early Voting open. Meadows Office Complex, 140 Co. Hwy. 33W, Cooperstown. Visit www.otsegocounty.com/departments/board_of_elections/index.php for info.…
HAPPENIN’ OTSEGO for MONDAY, JUNE 24 Oneonta’s Own ‘Ninja Warrior’ SCREENING – 7 p.m. Watch Oneonta’s own Ninja Warrior Anthony Eardley run the American Ninja Warrior Course on the big screen. Foothills Performing Arts Center, 24 Market St., Oneonta. Info, www.foothillspac.org…