Letter writer Tom Busse accuses Oregon’s epidemiologist, Dean Sidelinger, of crying wolf in his request that folks wear masks in public settings because, Busse says, the mask mandate doesn’t work, and people are making much unnecessary ado about a virus (RSV) that’s been around since the 1950s, (“Readers respond: Masking not helping,” Dec. 15).

Here are some reasons that Sidelinger is absolutely spot on in all his pronouncements and requests. First, there is a documented surge of COVID, flu and, yes, RSV cases going on right now, burdening an already overburdened and exhausted health care system. Second, we were all isolated for more than two years. As they say in the song, our defenses are down – we’ve not been exposed to the ongoing viral and bacterial soup that surrounded us in the “before times,” so we find our immunity weakened and we’re extra susceptible. And third, the plea to wear masks will only work if people actually wear them, which, from my observations, they don’t seem to be doing in numbers significant enough to be impactful. I’m tired of it, too, but I’m more tired of people, especially children, getting needlessly sick and dying when prevention is so, so simple.

Chrisse Roccaro, Portland

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