Views from readers: getting the vaccine + paying for insurance

Just do it

The COVID-19 vaccine will soon be available for those 18 and over.

Parents and some children under 18 have died of this virus.

The vaccine may prevent transmission of the virus from you to your children.

The number of deaths from the vaccine is zero. The number of deaths from the virus is approaching 400,000.

This is a no-brainer. It is is simple math. The vaccine will save lives, and its side effects are no worse than a flu vaccine.

The virus however is more lethal than the flu. It is now the third leading cause of death in America, home of the brave.

Be brave. Get vaccinated. You don’t have to be a doctor to figure this out.

Russell Savarese

Saucier

Schedule needed

I’m appealing to Gulfport Memorial Hospital to make available on their website information on when the general public might be able to receive the vaccine for COVID-19.

I am not a nursing home resident, I’m no longer a health care worker and I am in the dark about when I might be eligible to get the vaccine.

There is lots of great general information about COVID-19, but a timeline for distribution of the vaccine would be extremely helpful.

Sandra Priester

Gulfport

Insurance issues

Being a homeowner on the Gulf Coast, I have dealt with the dreaded, but necessary, task of buying homeowner’s insurance.

Before Hurricane Katrina, I was grandfathered into coverage for wind storms. I received a fair settlement for damages with minimal deductions. I used all the money to make repairs and to upgrade.

Fast forward to Hurricane Zeta. I no longer had windstorm coverage with my homeowner’s insurance of 20 years. I added an addition to my house, so my policy was renegotiated to exclude windstorm coverage.

Mortgage companies require anyone with a loan to buy coverage from a separate insurance. I went with the Mississippi Windstorm. I now pay for two policies.

In an attempt to lower my premium, I asked my insurance agent to increase my deductible to 10%. I read the policy, but I did not understand that 10% meant of the total appraisal of my house. I thought it was 10% of any claims for damages.

So, after deductions, I was awarded zero money for over $18,000 worth of damages.

My agent was not responsible, although he should have gone over the policy and pointed this out. The Windstorm underwriters said they just write up what the agent sends them. So, it’s my fault, it is “buyers beware,” and now I know better. I had to renew and I lowered my deductible as low as I could.

We need a national disaster insurance, with lower premiums and better coverage.

Carlis Daniels-Hinton

Gulfport