Covid Vaccines and Global Cooperation

 It is easy to sit back on the sidelines and ask why it is taking so long for the world to come up with the Covid-19 vaccine, but this task is bigger than one can imagine. There are many obstacles, globally and locally, that we need to overcome in order to effectively produce and distribute a Covid-19 vaccine. One way that producing and delivering the Covid-19 vaccine is a global endeavor is the question of who gets it first. Sure, we would like to think that the vaccine will be made by the billions, enough for everyone to get one, but that is unfortunately not the case. Countries are going to have to assess and decide who is at the most risk and who could wait a few months or even years to be able to have the vaccine. Additionally, there are many vaccine trials going on all over the world. I have heard of at least 3 happening here in the United States, so another issue that has to be tackled is which vaccine that is currently in the trial will be deemed the "best" and which company/country will have to take on the responsibility of having the world's first Covid-19 vaccine ready for mass production and distribution. Besides the obvious players, there are many important roles that would have to be filled in order to make this distribution possible. For example, transporting the vaccine across the globe would require various types of transportation methods such as boats and planes, both of which would require certain environmental conditions to host the vaccines. As stated in the New York Times article titled How To Ship a Vaccine at -80 degrees C, and Other Obstacles in the Covid Fight, most vaccines would have to be kept at extremely low temperatures, a huge task to do for millions and millions of vials on boats, planes, trucks, etc. Besides environmental conditions that would have to be met, the race for the world's first coronavirus vaccine has become a competition of fame and money. Whichever country is the first to create a vaccine will receive huge compensation as well as have the stigma of being the "smartest". This competition can lead countries to lose sight of what is actually important: finding a vaccine to help the public. Lastly, being able to produce millions of vials is not easy, and it certainly won't take as fast as the world wants it to be. The logistics of how to produce 300+ million vials of this vaccine means that it could take months, or even years, to be able to produce enough vaccines to be globally ready. The world is already running tight on PPE and basic medical supplies, so manufacturing hundreds of millions of vials of this vaccine during an already strained healthcare system is going to be a huge obstacle. 

Football is Back! A Sense of Normalcy

 

Last Saturday I was able to go to the first home football game of the season! Being able to go to the game brought back a sense of normalcy, something I have not felt since late March! Even though we had to wear masks and be socially distant, it was so much fun just being in the atmosphere and getting to do a fall tradition! It was kinda odd seeing how empty the stadium was and not seeing the parking lot full of people tailgating, but it was overall still a very fun day and a good game! 

Covid and Classes: A College Student's Perspective

 Online education has been such a touchy subject for the last couple of months. The debate on whether online learning is the best option for students of all ages has been one that has caused a lot of divides and typically has brought on even more confusion for the ones impacted the most: the students. Since I have experienced what online education has brought on the first hand, I believe that I am informed and educated enough to decide that online education has not provided an equal opportunity for learning during Covid-19. First of all, there is no set curriculum or way teachers should be teaching via online formats, so there is no consistency in our education system right now, which is causing some students to fall further behind than others. Not only is there no consistency from state to state or school to school, it even comes down to teacher to teacher. I personally am taking 5 different classes right now through The University of Kentucky and all 5 of my professors are approaching online learning completely differently. This has caused me to have confusion about which class is doing what and I have found myself feeling more lost than ever. Besides the teaching styles being different, online learning is not providing an equal opportunity for learning because some students can not learn through a screen. I am a physical learner. I need physical textbooks, notebooks, a pen, and a pencil. Online education does not provide me with the opportunities I need to be able to fully understand the material being presented to me. I know that I do not have the worst situation though, some students do not even have access to the internet or a computer to join in on zoom classes. This creates a huge learning deficit that can not be repaired, especially for younger students who are in critical learning years right now. 

Additionally, I do believe that there should be a hardship clause for students impacted by Covid, but I believe there should be an extent to which this is given. I have always been a straight-A student, but with covid I have found myself struggling more than usual in my classes. This has not come from a lack of effort or motivation, it is purely because I have to adapt to a different education style than what I have been used to for the last 14 years of my life. So, for students like me or similar to me, there should be a bit more leniency for students who are genuinely struggling to adapt. On the other hand, there are some students that would take advantage of the situation and not put any effort in and know that they can just blame it on covid. I understand that it would be very difficult to differentiate between the two situations so it would make it difficult to ensure fairness, but it is something to consider. 

Lastly, I do not think that I will be any less competitive in the job market because of Covid. I believe, if anything, potential employers would see my resilience and dedication through covid to continue my education despite the circumstances. 

Seasonal Allergies during Covid-19: An Observation

 I have noticed throughout the last couple of months that if you are sick with something besides covid and you go out in public and sneeze or cough, people feel the need to say "don't worry I don't have covid!". I personally always get really bad seasonal allergies and this year more than ever I have noticed that my allergies have been so much worse. I believe it is because I have moved states being from Illinois and now coming to Kentucky for school, but it has caused me to cough and sneeze a lot more than I normally would. I know that when I do cough or sneeze that it is only my allergies because I have had allergies my whole life, but to others in public who may be around me, they do not always know that it is just my allergies. This has caused me to always say out loud "it is just my allergies, not covid" because I do not want people thinking I am sick with covid and that I am going to spread it to others. One of the most common places that I notice I get starred at if I cough or sneeze is in the grocery store. While I do understand why people may be alerted when they hear someone who seems sick, it has almost put a pressure on me to hold in my sneeze or cough if I feel it coming in public so that I do not get judged. Although I do not have a picture of me personally coughing in public since covid, this picture is an accurate representation.