when you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you
navajo saying
an 82 year-old cancer survivor, ms. barb bartolovich, sought to enjoy life and play a friendly game of cards. she reportedly took strict safety precautions. she limited her socialization to vaccinated individuals.
recently, she attended a card game.
it is reported that a friend, who also attended, was ill from covid-19. they failed to disclose as they wished to attend the game. shortly after the event, ms. barb bartolovich contracted the virus and passed away. it is likely that she contracted covid-19 at the game. dailymail
media reports of the story make no mention of the covid-19 friend’s vaccination status. if the friend was unvaccinated, this would have been likely to have been the story’s lead. thus, for this blog’s purpose, a likely assumption is that the friend was vaccinated.
ms. bartalovich’s grandaughter, lauren nash, spoke out. ‘somebody decided that testing positive for covid is something they can hide,’ nash told wxyz. she noted that ‘i am just horrified at where we are and what is going on, that we are not taking into account people’s lives,’ nash said. nash is asking everyone to be more aware about their role in stopping the spread. dailymail she indicate “it is not worth it. it is not worth knowing you hurt someone, potentially hurt someone, or killed someone because you want to go out and have fun.’
with all this said, the card game has become a blame game. there are many things were can learn from this story:
blame the vaccines. the story indicated that ms. barb bartolovich was vaccinated. why did it not protect her from infection? is it medically dishonest to label something as a vaccine when it has the efficacy of a “flu shot?” is it time to simply label them as “shots” so that individuals understand that they are truly not vaccinated.
blame those who advocate vaccines are the be all and end all of protection from covid-19. the story clearly shows that vaccination status provides a false sense of protection for individuals. social distancing, hand washing, masking, taking temperatures and and not going out if you are not feeling well are all measures that can be done absent access to covid-19 testing. vaccine advocacy lulled many individuals into a false sense of security. likewise, if the government made stronger efforts to create and distribute therapeutics, more lives could be saved.
blame the individual who attended knowing they felt ill. this individual knew that she was going to be in contact with elderly individuals who were at high risk of covid-19 complications. perhaps, this individual was also misinformed that the other individual’s vaccinations would have protected them from their infection.
blame ms. barb bartolovich and her family members who arranged the game. this is, of course, the most painful reality of the story.
in the real world, there are always individuals that do not play by the rules. there will always be someone who tries to get around them. i personally know of times when individuals with covid-19 infections have attended events. in one circumstance, the event was one of the most important ones in their entire lifetime. thus, i appreciate the pressure that individual can succumb to when they make this decision. in another circumstance, i am aware of a fully vaccinated individuals who have become infected with covid-19, who have used their vaccine pass to gain entry into vaccinated only locations. thus, they followed the rules. the rules, however, were faulty in that they did not prevent an infected individual from gaining access. thus, even vaccination passes do not prevent the spread.
thus, in this world, one must assume the worst in individuals and hope for the best. often the anger arising from the fallout from these situations is at oneself. it is painful to realize that something was within the individual’s control and was preventable.
in sum, i hope that the words from ms. bartalovich’s grandaughter, lauren nash, are heard and followed. she will most likely save lives. likewise, for those who cannot take chances, they must take the approach of assuming the worst and hoping for the best. elderly individuals and at risk individuals must be treated like a treasure. for their family and friends, you can bet on it!
be well!!
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