To the editor:

I want to thank the Barrington Times for the front-page piece by Josh Bickford (Nov. 23, 2021) asking “What is the ‘economic risk’ of teacher vaccine mandate?”

This article is in response to a very practical and reasonable query about the real cost of enforcing the vaccine mandate in our school district. The anonymous citizen raised the concern of lawsuits connected to the suspended teachers as a possible additional cost to the town.

In response, Doug Fiore (Barrington Schools Finance Director) assured us that legal representation was “covered by our retainer agreement with the legal counsel.”

So that’s covered. 

That got me to thinking about the cost of NOT enforcing the mandate:

From April 2020 through Nov. 29, 2021 there have been about 115 deaths from COVID 19 in Bristol County, RI (CDC). Some of these, regrettably, occurred in our town. 

Many more of our neighbors were afflicted with the virus and had to be isolated or taken to hospital by ambulance after a 911 call. 

The economic costs for each individual who becomes infected/quarantined and/or hospitalized due to COVID 19 (and to the town and the state) are difficult to generalize. Some (not all) of the costs may include:

• Ambulance charge – about $1,500/emergency call.

• Cost of police /fire/emergency crew to attend to each 911 call?

• Average cost of hospitalization per COVID patient $20,000. (Health System Tracker, KFF).

• Cost for outpatient doctor visits, medications, rehab services?

• Lost revenue for time out of work for the quarantined/ill patient?

• Lost revenue to small businesses in town during patients’ isolation/illness?

• The economic “r” impact, i.e. the cost of each infected person infecting 2-3 others when exposed?

Of course, not all those who become infected are ill or will die. It depends largely on the person’s vaccination status: From April – July, 2021 in the US- 92 percent of all hospitalizations and 91 percent of all deaths from COVID occurred in unvaccinated individual (CDC. MMWR, Sept. 27, 2021).  

It seems evident that the economic advantage would be significant to the town (and to our country) if everyone was vaccinated. Failure to accept the vaccination is a personal choice of course. It is an individual’s right of choice. It is not an individual’s right, however, to be employed as a teacher and put our children and community at risk of infection.

There is therefore, a greater “economic risk” of NOT enforcing the mandate to our town, our families and to our country. The non-economic costs are incalculable.

Chris Clyne

Barrington