Debunking the False Claim That COVID Death Counts Are Inflated Public Comment from Brian HoffmanAimee Brunckhorst
From: Brian Hoffman <brihoffman09@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2020 12:52 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comments Supporting Covid-19 Regulations
To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Brian and I grew up here in the Flathead Valley. I love this town, this valley, and it's people and I'm
extremely concerned for the health of our citizens. Until Spring of this year I was living and working in New York City in
the film industry. I was there during the first peak of the Covid 19 epidemic. I was there when every night on the news
we saw the numbers climb higher and higher, eventually reaching 900 deaths a day. I saw news footage of the bodies in
rows on Rikers Island. I was there when nurses pleaded over the news and online for tighter restrictions and more
resources, for more PPE, for more help to get bodies out of hospital rooms. I was there when they had to start bringing
in refrigerated semi -trucks to offload the corpses of victims from hospitals. I heard the shouts and applause every night
at 7pm to encourage the health workers and the sounds of sirens that wailed all day and all night. I watched from my
stoop as health workers tried to help a visibly sick elderly neighbor back into her home without touching her. I heard
police cruisers parked in front of a grocery store exclaiming through their loudspeakers "attention citizens. There is a
global pandemic. Please do not leave your homes."
New York City and the Flathead Valley are polar opposites in many ways but that doesn't mean it won't happen here.
Yes, NYC is drastically more populated than MT, but because of this our hospital and health systems cannot handle the
overload any more than NYC could. There are hospitals all across the state that are already full. And the numbers only
continue to rise. My grandparents lost a friend just this past week.
I beg those that have the power to enact stricter regulations in the Flathead to do so immediately. Please put aside
politics and protect the town I love. This virus doesn't care what side of the aisle you're on. Please do not wait until we
have to start bringing in the trailers. Please don't wait until it's someone you love.
Sincerely,
Brian Hoffman