Letters to the Editor | Nov. 9, 2022

As Wendy Ruderman describes in her article detailing the surge of respiratory viral cases in the Philadelphia area and the country as a whole, we are seeing the continued toll of viruses on our health. As a pediatrician, I focus on making the lives of children healthier, and I know we can’t do it alone. I am most interested in vaccinating caregivers of infants who can’t yet be vaccinated. One study showed that in 70% of infant influenza cases, a household member had a flu-like illness at the time. You can help by getting yourself vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19. By getting the flu vaccine this year, we as a community can reduce flu cases and protect our most vulnerable children. I tell families, if you work or live with children, especially infants — even if you don’t usually get the annual flu vaccine — this is the year to get it.

Nathan L’Etoile, Philadelphia

Again, the spotlight is on the area around Kensington and Allegheny. Will the city’s leaders finally do something about the conditions in our community? For too long the city has abandoned this area. For nearly five years, it has been used as a containment area for drug users. Why are over 800 drug users allowed to camp out along the Kensington corridor? Why doesn’t our district attorney prosecute the dealers who benefit from these conditions? Why do city leaders ignore our pleas for help? The city has a suitable space to house and treat these drug users. The old police Roundhouse is empty and isolated from residential areas. Our community needs to be freed from this burden, and these users deserve to be treated as human beings. Get it done!

Alfred R. Klosterman, Philadelphia

For several weeks, The Inquirer has promoted a narrative that, because City Council called for special elections to fill four vacancies, it somehow delayed when mail ballots were sent to voters, thus jeopardizing elections for U.S. Senate and governor. Here are the actual facts: In three previous elections in Philadelphia since state law allowed mail-in voting, city officials mailed out the ballots to voters 35, 33, and 24 days prior to the election. In other words, about one month before the election — ample time for voters to get their ballot, fill it out, and mail it in. Last month, elections officials mailed these ballots out 29 days before the election — the same time they normally go out. Those are the facts.

Joe Grace, Philadelphia

The rise of virulent antisemitism is taking many forms, including recent comments from gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano criticizing Jews like myself who question some of the positions of the current Israeli government with regard to the West Bank settlements. Mastriano’s bigotry is especially ironic since Jesus — from birth to his death at the hands of the Romans — was a devout follower of Judaism; his last supper was the Passover seder. Are Mastriano and his followers saying they hate Jesus, too?

Mitchell Rothman, Merion

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