Editor's note: Dr. Roy Korn, president of the Schoharie County Medical Association, and other members of the SCMA, asked us to run this as a letter to the editor in light of supervisors' December 17, 2021 vote not to enforce the Governor's mask mandate.

Dear Editor,
Last Wednesday at midnight, while on-call for the Cobleskill Hospital, I was called in to see a COVID infected inpatient who was deteriorating.
The patient, an unvaccinated person, had reached dangerously low levels of oxygen despite being on the maximum of super high flow oxygen.
As we took steps to save her life she asked me if she'd be able to see family again.
This person’s story is a familiar one for us.
If she had been vaccinated, she likely would not be in the hospital.
Had one more person in the county worn a mask, the virus might not have spread and infected her causing her to suffer the severe consequences that COVID frequently creates.
For the past 21 months, we, physicians and advanced practice clinicians in medical offices in Schoharie County and at the Cobleskill Hospital, wore and continue to wear personal protective equipment including masks.
Despite working daily with numerous sick patients, we have not become infected with COVID-19.
Vaccines are safe and effective. Masks work.
We, Schoharie County medical practitioners, encourage our county government leaders to responsibly promote evidence-based measures that can keep Schoharie County citizens from getting sick from COVID-19.
Vaccines and masks help prevent virus spread.
Not only do vaccines and masks save lives but they also keep people well so that we all can continue doing our daily jobs and activities, and can continue to be with our families.
Roy Korn MD, president of the Schoharie County Medical Society

Others who asked to sign this letter in support:
Caroline Gomez-DiCesare MD;
Greg Rys DNP;
Rebecca Eckel MD;
Olayemi Racheal Jafojo MD
John Novak MD
Joyce Burton DO
Susan Emerson MD
Stephen Strasser MD