To help reduce vaccine hesitancy, we need to at least answer the following questions:

1. How many people live in N.C.?

2. How many people are recovered from COVID infection in N.C. and have antibodies to protect them from future COVID infection?

3. How many people are only vaccinated in N.C.?

4. How many people are both vaccinated and recovered in N.C.?

5. How many illegal migrants have been brought to N.C. from the border in 2021?

6. How many COVID-positive illegal migrants have been brought to N.C. in 2021?

7. How many people are currently hospitalized with COVID infection in N.C.?

8. How many of the people currently in the hospital with COVID are unvaccinated?

9. What is the recovery/survival rate for people contracting COVID in N.C.?

10. How many people have had severe/prolonged adverse reactions to the vaccine in N.C.?

11. How many breakthrough infections have occurred in vaccinated people in N.C.?

Transparency on these issues would help everyone make an informed decision on whether or not they need the vaccine in N.C. This would also better inform business owners and government officials on whether or not mandating vaccinations is warranted.

I feel we are really missing the mark by not routinely testing recovered COVID patients for antibodies to determine that they truly had COVID and recovered. Someone who has recovered and has natural immunity is more resistant to COVID than someone who has only been vaccinated. Yet, we are treating them like they are equivalent to someone who is unvaccinated and has never had the virus. We could already be approaching herd immunity if anyone would bother to look at both recovery and vaccination numbers together.

I would like to see an investigative reporter or someone “in the know” to answer these questions and supply the statistics in one easy to understand and locate database. We need to quit sowing fear and start being transparent with all the data necessary to make an informed decision.

— Cherie Smith

Salisbury