A critical care nurse gives anti-viral medication to a Covid-19 positive patient at Kootenai Health regional medical centre in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Photo / AP
I am seeing a lot of traumatised people faced with no clearly articulated plan to deal with Covid and little hope.
An effective plan would need a shift of emphasis from elimination from the country to elimination from the body. There is a clear pathway if
we follow the science. That pathway could be relatively short and fits with an elimination strategy.
A quick, successful transition of emphasis from border control to vaccination combined with emerging Covid antiviral drugs will, with a reasonable level of certainty, result in our lockdown levels being abolished for Covid.
New antiviral drugs that stop the virus replicating within the body and transmitting outside the body will be a game changer. These antivirals are based on proven technology and expected to be available within four to six months.
A proactive government would have orders for these antiviral drugs in the pipeline already.
Neil Webber, Auckland Central.
C'mon slow pokes
In the course of my life I've been vaccinated against measles, tetanus, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, mumps, rubella and polio.
Some years ago, before travelling through Asia, my arms were punctured by vaccines against cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, typhoid and typhus.
More recently I've been jabbed against shingles, influenza (annually) and now Covid-19 (twice). And yet, in spite of all that stuff being pumped into my body (and more likely because of it) here I am.
My message is simple: be told, be good, be brave and go get your damn jabs. For all our sakes.
Ron Hoares, Wellsford.
Housing have-nots
The current housing crisis stands to make New Zealand a "Third World" country in time, unless market forces causing the scenario are reined in.
Demand for houses being greater than supply is fuelling the problem, therefore reversing the equation is the answer. Unfortunately, the Government is spending most of its finances on the Covid crisis - and ignoring the fact that almost equal problems deserve equal attention. Like Covid, the housing crisis, if not addressed will, in time, cause the bottom to fall out of society. That baseline describes society's most vulnerable who will lack both wealth and health.
Their growing numbers will oversee an emerging "Third World" scenario for the country, unless the Government acts now.
Murray Dennett, Papatoetoe.
Holding the line
We need to offer our support to the medical teams in our hospital system. They are working long shifts of up to 12 hours, not being supported by management and feeling unsafe.
They have been offered effective pay cuts (now backtracked) and restructure costing at least $640m which will produce not one extra nurse, doctor, mental health support worker.
Worldwide shortage is making the offshore extra pay look very interesting. Please, no restructure - spend on training more professionals
Mike Single, Bayswater.
One hospital?
Although the vaccine is extremely effective at reducing severe illness after Covid exposure, we will still be facing hospitalisation of patients with Covid in the future.
Perhaps preparing one main hospital now may be the answer. It would greatly reduce the exposure to other at risk patients if Covid was treated at a separate facility.
I know that staffing and location would cause some issues but, in the long run, it could help reduce risk of death for vulnerable people. At the height of the New York pandemic, they tried to implement this system with a naval hospital ship. The problem was, the idea came too late. I believe there were too many exposed people to actually be able to separate the patients.
Could this be feasible here in New Zealand? Maybe.
Katie Legge, Waiheke.
Appropriate inquiry
The couple who breached the Auckland border in a carefully thought-out, planned and deliberate act, are deeply sorry. So am I.
This decision to breach the public health order indicates a lack of judgment on the part of the lawyer. The district law society "may" or "could" investigate. Nowhere has it said it "will investigate and take appropriate action".
The actions of the individual reflect badly on her and her teachers/mentors.
The actions of the complaints and professional standards body will govern the public's perception of the legal profession.
Dr Andrew G Veale, respiratory physician, Auckland.
Contrasting actions
What a contrast in humanity displayed on the front page (NZ Herald, September 15). Photos of two foolish people putting their wellbeing and safety before anyone else's, versus one courageous, humble person rushing towards danger and putting everyone else's wellbeing and safety ahead of their own.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie
Praises sung
In the midst of Maori Language Week, te reo translations are commonplace but one of the initiatives that's impressed me the most has been the Waiata Anthems series on TVNZ On Demand.
The idea of getting a range of local musicians to translate one of their songs into te reo and film their experience is genius. The passionate te reo experts helping the performers are all inspiring with their integrity, humility and knowledge, clearly showing that te reo goes far beyond simply trying to translate one word to another in another language.
Along the way relevant words get translated in context thoughtfully and sparingly as graphics. The cross section of music is fun, deftly sets the scene and overall the whole production is as heartwarming and engaging as it is educational. Congratulations and thanks to all involved.
Neil Marsh, Sandringham.
Closed minded
The dairy I support in Warkworth goes by the book: signing in, masks, one customer at a time, etc.
Opposite the dairy is a small laundry, run by two women, with its doors tightly shut. On my way to the chemist to pick up medicines, I drive past Countdown and New World, both of which accommodate hundreds of staff and shoppers under one roof every day.
Next door to my chemist, which is operating by the book, is a small bakery, and a few doors further down is the butcher shop, both with their doors also tightly locked.
This blind, blanket application of the lockdown rules is discriminatory and financially ruinous to small businesses. Surely the laundry, baker and butcher could also safely operate by the book, as the dairy and the chemist do? The Government and Health Ministry seem incapable of shaking off the shackles of blind adherence to "rules".
Johan Slabbert, Warkworth.
Zero vision
Auckland Transport's pursuit of a concept it borrowed from Sweden is leading to all manner of dumb decisions. It reduced the speed limits on many roads last year as part of "Vision Zero", which aimed for zero road deaths by 2050. But deaths went up from 29 to 56 in the past 12-month period. Clearly AT is driving in the wrong lane, and should be doing more in the driver education and road design areas. Society has tacitly accepted that with cars comes the inevitability of accidents and deaths. AT should get itself a new, realistic goal - one that doesn't lead it to do all it can to slow traffic and reduce the efficiency of our roads.
Tony Waring, Grey Lynn.
Advantage, tennis
What a wonderful match we witnessed just recently at the US Open between the two youngest women ever to play a final.
I believe we are seeing the dawn of a new era for the women and the future of the game looks to be in great hands. These players displayed true sportsmanship, self belief and a fearless approach to their game in playing a truly memorable match.
In my mind they are both champions and should be congratulated for the way they conducted themselves both on and off the court. They are magnificent role models for the future players of the game and tennis should be privileged to have them in their sport.
Rob Denton, Snells Beach.
On post
With the increasing "removal" of mail from letterboxes, maybe it's time to go back to posties having a whistle or similar, which notified home owners when something was left in the box. Allen Grainger, Pōkeno.
On speeds
A dramatic increase in road deaths following millions of dollars spent on mindless speed bumps - go figure. Chris Parker, Campbells Bay.
On vaccines
Can anyone tell me why pharmacies, who do not routinely administer vaccines, have been preferred as vaccine roll-out centres over general practices, which do? Mary Tallon, Takapuna.
Perhaps opening up KFC and McDonald's to give vaccines would do the trick? John Powell, Manurewa.
The more vaccinations, the fewer lockdowns. What more do the anti-vaxxers need to hear? Pamela Russell, Ōrakei.
On Shaw
You cannot compare a vital international conference addressing the world's greatest threat, climate change, with leisure travel. Bill Mathews, Auckland Central.
On Auckland
A small request, can we please have a two-year ban on the use of the term "Jafa" in recognition for all the Aucklanders doing the heavy lifting for the country right now? Jo Malcolm, Parnell.
I am a secondary school teacher and often hear from parents excuses for regular lateness or non-attendance at school due to their children playing games and being on social media 'til the wee hours of the morning then being too tired to get up in time for school. They say their kids "get angry" when they try to stop them or remove the device. I also see a lot of enabled absenteeism yet we are expected to somehow fix this. It's a hard enough job without parental abdication of responsibilities. Hendrik L.
NZ is often compared to Denmark as a comparable country to us - but they have a high level of education so this is our problem. We're in a game of two halves - half racing to the bottom, unfortunately. In Europe parents are prosecuted for truancy- different attitude to education. Shame we can't seem to understand this. Linda M.
The issue Mr Prebble highlights is not new and certainly not due to the arrival of Covid. I attended high school back in the early 70s and we had students who would miss school to look after younger siblings while both parents worked or who couldn't wait to leave school as soon as they turned 15. These issues are ongoing and his charter schools will not solve them. Children take their cues from parents and if parents aren't engaged with education their children will not be either. I was lucky that my parents knew the value of education and encouraged us to strive at school. Denise F.
Potentially and worryingly a lack of school attendance is a symptom of a far greater problem with mindset of young NZs. Their future is looking very bleak - never owning a house, low wages, climate change, no travel etc. Perhaps there's no point to education when every day you're told the world sucks. Mike D.
The responsibility for ensuring attendance lies with parents. If they fail their children, the Ministry of Education has a duty to pursue the parents, to protect the children's interests. Awan B.
Whose responsibility is 10,500 children not enrolled in school? The Government's or the parents? I should think the latter. Neville A.
I would like comment on Richard's issue with some teachers not being vaccinated. I am a teacher and getting my second dose of vaccine next week. Schools are incubators for viruses and I find it ironic that there is much debate about mask wearing, hand sanitising and keeping parents and others out of the school - when the real elephant in the room is the lack of vaccinated staff and students, James O.
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.