Editor,

Ms, Cruz-Murphy asks in her letter of September 4: “does it really matter if someone is vaccinated or not?” The answer to her question is very simple and has three parts. First, getting vaccinated substantially reduces one’s risk of: infection, transmitting the virus, being hospitalized, or dying. Second, one’s being vaccinated substantially reduces the risks of infection, disease transmission, hospitalization or death to one’s family and community. Third, being vaccinated to reduce one’s risks of the above is especially important for those in our community who cannot be vaccinated because of medical reasons or have underlying medical conditions. It is also critically important to keep our elementary students healthy, since they are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. As a transplant to Los Alamos, I am happy to say how pleased and proud I am to be living in a community where almost everyone understands these points and has acted on them for their own benefit and the benefit of their families and the community. 

Richard Skolnik
White Rock