Covid Vaccines and Global Cooperation

     Many people think of vaccines as a task of going to a drug store or doctors office to get a quick poke in the arm and then they are sent on their way. What most people don't know is all the tedious steps that have to be taken in order to get that vaccine to the drug store or doctors office. The vaccine must be created, multiplied, packaged, and shipped all over the world. 

    As mentioned above, the first step of the process is easily the most difficult of them all. Vaccines are not just made "at the drop of a hat." They take years and years of research, practice, and perfecting. According to "Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker" and the New York Times, there are five different ways a vaccine can be made: Repurposed Vaccines, Inactivated or Attenuated Coronavirus Vaccines, Protein-Based Vaccines, Viral Vector Vaccines, and Genetic Vaccines. Each of these vaccines are made to attack the virus in a specific way and are being used to create a vaccine for the coronavirus. Because the process for creating a vaccine is long and tedious, it can be very expensive. That is why it is so important and necessary for large name companies and millionaires to invest money into the research. Many wealthy families are investing in potential coronavirus vaccine. But investing is not always a genius idea. Many times investors lose more money than gain, due to the low likelihood that the vaccine will past all trails and be successful.

    However, there are some case where vaccines do make it out on the other side of trials and are ready to be mass produced and distributed to the majority of the world. But, this process is not as easy as it sounds. It involves many precautions and regulations to make sure that the vaccines are made correctly. Find a Vaccine. Next: Produce 300 Million Vials of It explains the thorough steps that must be taken to correctly make 300 million plus vials of the successful vaccine. It takes time to get enough vials, syringes, drugs, and other materials needed to create an order of vaccines this big. Because it is so costly to do so, there are only a few companies willing to do, making the length of time much longer. This requires a collaboration of the entire world to help each other get the most effective vaccine made and distributed to several countries. If many countries contribute to the process, the vaccine could be made quicker and would be better for humanity. 

    The last step in the coronavirus vaccine process is shipping it to thousands of places located all over the world. Much like numerous vaccines, the coronavirus vaccine must be kept at 80 degrees Celsius in order for the vaccine to work effectively when injected. This could cost millions of dollars itself. Ways of transportation like planes and trucks will need to be kept cold enough to hold the vaccine. According to How to ship a vaccine at 80 degrees  Celsius- and other obstacles in the Covid Fight, FedEx improved their way of shipping vaccines by introducing a thermal blanket to keep the vaccines cold enough while transporting. The also have machine that can produce dry ice. Although it may seems possible to follow all of these correctly, many vaccines have done it and we hope that a coronavirus vaccine will be next. But, this will only be possible with the cooperation of other countries. Countries around the globe have to be wiling to put differences aside and share the vaccine will every country. This idea is simply very naive and nearly impossible. Powerful countries will not put the past behind them, after several of their own people have died to get them to where they are. So, though, this idea is morally correct, it is not plausible and unlikely to happen. 

Family in Quarantine

     

As of yesterday, I received some scary and sad news. My cousins have Covid! Although many families have already gone through this process, my family is experiencing it for the first time since the pandemic started. These are the first people that my family has been contact that actually have covid and much is known for them right now.

    My cousin travels a lot for work and just got back home from a trip to Louisiana. After a few days, his co-worker started to feel sick and tested positive for the virus. This prompted my cousin to get tested as well and his results were also positive. He had previously been on close contact with my mom, brother, grandparents, and other cousins. My youngest cousin now has a fever and possibly has the virus as well. Although my mom and brother have not shown symptoms, the health department is making them quarantine in the house until November 2nd. 

    As mentioned in an earlier post, my dad recently suffered from brain cancer and has a very weak immune system. Thankfully, my dad has been out of town hunting in South Dakota for the past week and will not return home for a few more days. Because of his weakened immune system, he has to stay at my other grandparent's house until my mom and brother are released from quarantine. I know both of my parents are extremely upset by this but it is the best chance at keeping him safe. I was planning on surprising my family this weekend by coming home to celebrate the closing of our new house, but I guess it will have to wait a few weeks until everyone is healthy again. 

Reconnecting With Nature

 

            As I said in an earlier post, the pandemic has allowed me to get back in touch with my nature-loving side. Growing up, I lived on seven acres on land in a small town of Kentucky. I always constantly playing and running around outside with my siblings and cousins. I have so many memories of us building forts in the woods behind my grandma's house and staying outside until it got dark. My mom would have to beg us to come inside and eat dinner. It didn't matter the time of year, we were always outside. But as I got older and moved to a surburd of St. Louis, I lost my love for nature. I got busy with school and all of my clubs that the only time that I was really outside was for softball. I didn't spend time outside as much due to my busy schedule. 

        However, the coronavirus has helped me rediscover my love for nature. The past two or three weekends in Lexington have been so beautiful. The weather has been absolutely perfect, where the leaves are starting to fall and the summer heat is swept away with a subtle breeze. I have enjoyed going to Pine Knob Nature Reserve for hikes and pumpkin picking at Eckert's farm. Both of these were great ways to get outside and enjoy the fall weather with some friends. We wore our masks everywhere, except to snap a few pictures. We are all negative for the virus, so we were all safe around each other. Recently, I have even been studying outside by the library, instead of in my room. Being out in nature is my happy place and I am happy that I have rediscovered my love for the outdoors. 

Oh The Joys Of Online School!

 

        

         In the most recent years, online schooling has become more popular than ever. Young celebrities emphasized how easy it was to manage both school and their schedules when they were given the option to finish their classes online. Many students who were bullied a lot or just did not feel like they fit into a normal school setting were given another opportunity to complete their school work in a setting they felt more comfortable in. However, with the pandemic, thousands of students were forced to switch to online school without the choice. This switch has been very difficult for many and might even impact their futures.

        Online classes have made simple tasks like working in small groups or asking their teacher a question  much more difficult for many students. Now, students might have to schedule an appointment with their professor to ask a question outside of class hours. Working in groups is harder due to everyone being in different locations, making communication more difficult. Although many have adjusted to online classes well, there are still lots of students who are still struggling. I have noticed that my grades have slightly worsened just because of being online. With lectures being prerecorded or over zoom, I have found that it is much more difficult to grasp the concepts and information that the professors are throwing at us. This makes studying harder, and as a result I do poorly on quizzes and exams. I have found that this is the case for almost everyone that I have personally talked to.

        Because so many of us are suffering in online classes, it raises a question about how prepared we will be for graduate programs that we wish to pursue. Our GPAs may have dropped slightly or there is not any shadowing opportunities available to us as of right now and the current situation. Therefore, our applications for graduate programs and future jobs will suffer. I feel like these programs and employers should recognize these struggles and take them into account when deciding on whether or not to admit or hire the students. The struggles that came with the pandemic were not the students' fault and therefore should not be punished for them.