Winter Break

One of the most looked forward to things of college students is breaks as they allow you to completely step away from you classes and as stated in the name take a break. Winter break is the second longest break behind summer and many go home or on vacation for the holiday season but what is to happen and how will COVID change these holiday normalcys.

This year the University confirmed that winter break will now be just under 2 months long making it an extremely long time. The reason for the increase in length is because they cut all of the other breaks for both semesters to limit the amount of times people will be traveling and coming back to campus to help keep COVID on campus in check. This brings up the question of what to do during break. My family has had a trip planned for 2 years now to go to Hawaii for two weeks over Christmas and we at this moment still plan on going. COVID happening in the middle of it has made this an interesting situation as we now have to get a negative test three days before our flight and have actually invested in travel insurance because if anyone in my family tests positive (accurate or not) it could put the whole trip in jeopardy. We will also have to wear a mask for an entire 10 hour flight there and back and follow all of Hawaii's rules as the resorts have been know to kick out those who do not follow all of these guidelines. Overall, winter break is definitely going to be interesting for everyone.

Here is a common poster telling you the protective steps for COVID in Hawaii.

Covid Vaccines and Global Cooperation

In a world driven by competition between corporations and nations when a global threat becomes present these nations and companies are expected to work as one to exterminate the global threat. In the real world however, there is turmoil and distress which stops this from becoming reality. This vaccine is no different as competing companies and nations are working to produce the best solution to the global threat that is COVID-19. 

This vaccine is possibly the best line of defense the world would have against COVID cases and there are many challenges that come when making any vaccine but especially this one while on a time crunch. According to the first article the making and testing of the vaccine may not even be the hardest part and the distribution of the vaccine is actually more difficult. This is because the vaccines have to be stored at temperatures varying from minus 80 degrees celsius and minus 20 degrees celsius which have to be delivered to everyone in the United States meaning large amounts of industrial freezers and dry ice need to be prepared for mass distribution of the vaccine. From a global perspective cultural factors need to be taken into consideration such as in Pakistan vaccines are viewed as evil because of previous attempts of espionage and rumors spread from the Taliban. As stated previously stated in this course cultural factors are the key to making a global system work. In a different point of view this vaccine can be seen as a huge profit for whomever develops the vaccine first as we live in the United States, a free market economy. This causes this competition that drives these Pharma companies to create the best vaccine the fastest to make the most profit which helps to keep the price lower than it would be if there was only one company producing it. Then with other countries also trying to make their own vaccine this puts pressure on the United States as a whole to make the vaccine to maintain a global presence. Here I think that it takes both the work of global cooperation as well as competition to find a successful. I think it is naive to say that it naive to say that it takes only global cooperation or only competition as it takes to both to help make sure the best vaccine is made and distributed to the world in the best manner.

During this time of a global pandemic the creation of a vaccine is yes very difficult is complicated but as shown above it is not the only issue faced as actually making enough of the vaccine and the delivery. and storage of the vaccine in a whole other struggle. This relates to the major issue of medical supplies that there is a huge shortage going on right now. This includes masks, gloves and other necessary supplies for those working in hospitals to treat patients. These shortages occurred because the companies making these items cannot produce them fast enough to keep up with the amount hospitals across the country and the world are using them. This could be a similar issue faced when the vaccine becomes available as these big pharma companies will be pumping out these vaccines but it likely won't be enough fast enough to keep up with the demand for the vaccine. This is huge issue as when the vaccine becomes available will there be enough for the floods of people begging to get the thing that could potentially save their life.

Now to get to the most direct problem at hand, how do you make this vaccine? Here a normal vaccine could take more than a decade after you finish all the steps of clinical trials and testing but during this "war" against COVID things can be fast tracked. According to the Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker again an article by the New York times, the approved track for the vaccine to go public is a 5 step process before it is released to the public. First, the vaccine goes through preclinical testing where it will be tested on cells which are then given to animals to view their immune response. If all goes well here it will then move on to phase 1 where it will then be given to a small group of people to see how well it stimulates their immune system. Then the vaccine could move on to phase 2 expanded trials where the vaccine is given to hundreds of people ranging in age, class, and others to view how it affects different people and view the safety of the vaccine. The next stop for the vaccine is phase 3, efficacy trials, where the vaccine is given to thousands of people which can show potential side effects and how successful it actually is. If the vaccine makes it through all of the above steps it can move on to a trial period where it is in limited or early approval before being approved. These steps may seem a little extra but all are to make sure it works and is safe to use for the safety for the consumer. 

These steps also don't show what happens if there is a snare in one of these steps. If that happens the trials can be put on pause where they may have to be fixed and/or abandoned if the issue is too serious to be fixed. Today several have recently been paused as they have seen to cause COVID in the volunteer or not be effective but a majority are currently in a combined phase 1/2 which the FDA allowed to speed up the process to get the vaccine out as fast as possible while still being safe to use. Overall, the many steps the vaccine has to go through before becoming a reality reminds me much of the schoolhouse rock video of how a bill becomes a law only for how a vaccine is released to the public. This extremely strict and intricate process helps to promise the consumers of this vaccine that it is safe and successful in order to be used. 

How to Stay Entertained During COVID

The great question since the beginning of the COVID was how to keep busy and not get bored in the house during your quarantine. Now we have more freedom about when we can leave but we are still limited in what we can do. Since moving back to UKY I have at least been able to hangout and do stuff with my roommates but there is even a limit to what we can do so we keep coming up with new things to do. The first thing we did to keep us occupied was actually sports based. I know nothing about basketball but we started a bracket for the NBA playoffs which was a lot of fun since there were games everyday and the winner got a jersey of the team that one. Even though I did not win this fun competition I learned I actually enjoy watching it and learned I like the Celtics and Heat. Below you can see a picture of the bracket on one of our massive white boards.

Since this ended we struggled to find what we should do next as there are only so many board and card games you can play. That's when one of my roomates and I decided to rewatch all of the marvel movies in canonical order as we are HUGE fans of the franchise. Since then we have made it through 6 movies  as we just finished Iron Man 3 and also made a plan to do it in a movie marathon once the semester is over. Below you can see a picture of each of the marvel movies to watch in cannotical order (with a switch in Thor 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy as its up for interpretation and with not all the titles fully drawn out). 

During this time we also picked up a new videogame for us to play that I used to play a good 2 years ago. This is more for each of us when someone is not here to watch the movies as we need everyone here to watch the movies. So the game we got is Overwatch and more just gives us something to do rather than go hang out with other people because of COVID. Finally as a group we each have decided to rewatch the Mandalorian as we are also huge fans of the star wars franchise. Overall, these things we do together keep us entertained during this strange time. 

A Sweet Escape

With all of the instability in the world we all look to escape the social constructs of society to some degree. Today my friends and I sought to achieve this and we decided to go hiking. This usually would not be something I would be totally for but it could not have been more perfect. 

Since we all had just finished the majority of our exams we sought a way to get away from the rule stricken city and drove only 30 mins to a play called pilot knob. To get there we drove on a street with plenty of houses and it seemed as if the COVID-19 virus did not exist with people playing with their pet Turkeys; yes, I said Turkeys. It seemed all so simple and fun. We had then arrived and stepped just past the entrance sign and immediately saw a rocky creek which had carved through the slate and clay mountain. We then hiked 2.50 miles and about 15,000 feet. At the top of the mountain we sat for a good 45 minutes and took in the view as we could see everything for miles, including Lexington itself. At the top of that mountain all we could think was about the beauty of nature. This small three hour escape for the real world provided us with a break from the COVID-19 outbreak and just allowed us to have fun in the great outdoors. 

Above is the picture from the peak of pilot knob overlooking the horizon 

Healthy Habits

Another large problem most of the world faces today besides the coronavirus is the problem of obesity and other related non-contagious diseases. A major component of this is the availability of food as now products with more preservatives can be found cheaper than those more natural and organic products. This can also apply to eating out as well. A recent global craze has been that of fast food which has now spread internationally. These places have cheaper prices allowing everyone to get a meal but has little nutritional values. This issue that fast food places and major corporations create make it difficult to find healthier options whilst still on a budget which is difficult for those who can't afford the healthier alternative. 

The role of the internet in this global health crisis can be seen as a conflicting one. This is because in the past ten years work has been done to properly promote healthy eating and exercise; however, they are still overwhelmed by ads of fast food and videos of people binging on large amounts of food. These types of videos impact what people choose to eat and do in their daily lives and these videos mostly aim for the viewers of kids only worsening the problems in the years to come. Overall, this spread of poor eating habits through the internet is still a huge problem in trying to fix peoples poor eating and exercise habits.

In my life I have been raised by a health conscious family that could afford the healthier alternatives and now I choose those alternatives for myself. Because of this I have actually seen that now my roomates have adopted some of my health habits of eating food like this because I am the one that makes food. I do feel that it is more difficult on a college campus to maintain these healthy eating habits when it is so much easier to run to the closest fast food chain to grab food especially after a long day of classes. This can cause many people to simply do that which makes me see college campuses as an obesogenic environment. 

Here in the picture above shows the Panda Express in the student center.

As the the obesity numbers increase we need to take a stand in fixing the view of healthy habits in the USA and the world to fight this global health crisis. 

Education During COVID-19

Since the beginning of the pandemic the first thing for the community to shut down was the education systems such as schools and universities because of how fast it could spread thought these environments. Because of this many had to finish the schooling online which is bearable at a college level but you drop into high school and below things get dicy. I saw this first hand as when I went home because of COVID I started tutoring a families 4 kids in grades ranging from 1st to 8th. Through this experience I saw how difficult it is for kids at these ages to stay motivated and engaged in online school. This was not just in this family either but throughout everyone, kids cannot learn online. Because if this I feel that in person classes are a necessity for the youth of America to stay on tract and keep up with the curriculum.  This could effect their abilities to apply to colleges in a middle school and high school level and for elementary school just learning how to socialize and learn basic skills. For college students and those in professional programs this could play a huge role in their ability to get a job as now there are less jobs because of the current economic market and now they may have finished their training online which did not allow them that hands on clinical work or interactions with patients in the medical field. This online education also limits those who may not have an internet device or only one to share between many people. This allows for kids who have received in person teaching from tutors or teachers to be at or ahead of the curve letting the people who can't afford that's kids fall further and further behind.

The picture above shows a classroom of elementary students back in school during COVID as everyone is shown in masks and the students are a little farther a part than normal.

At a university level there is a little more flexibility because of the fact that we are adults but similar issues are still faced regarding limitations of technology. My personal experience with online learning is okay, I would much rather learn in person as I learn better with physical professor; however, for a temporary thing during COVID I am okay with it. If schools wanted to implement online school for the next five years I would be extremely angry and would look to transfer to somewhere with in person classes. This is because I don't feel like I am learning as much as I could be with an in person class. 

During these difficult times many talk about how there should be a hardship clause for those who get COVID or have a close family member who get it during the semester. In my opinion, I don't feel like this is as big of a concern but that each persons case should be examined before they would be excused. This is because if all you have is COVID and your not hospitalized and are expected to make a full recovery you should not be excused from any and all school work. This clause should be used for those who have been hospitalized for because of COVID or maybe have to take immediate care for a family member who has been hospitalized. These case I feel the university should offer some leeway as it is a terrible situation to begin with so why not her that person out. Overall, I think a clause like this could exist but should be examined at a case by case basis to determine who really needs it in order to be implemented fairly. 

UK Core Issue: How Do We DIstribute COVID Vaccines?

Probably the most talked about thing amongst the media other than the election is the COVID-19 vaccine. Who will make it? How much will it cost? How will it be distributed? These are all questions that are constantly being asked by many. If today the vaccine came out and they stated that fayette county gets to vaccinate 33.3% of their population and I was able to make the decision to who will receive the vaccine there would have to be many factors I would have to take in to consider. 

The first and most important in my opinion would be comorbidities. This would be because those people with comorbidities such as heart disease, asthma, COPD, and other conditions that would make you immunocompromised and thus more likely to get the virus. Another thing to take into account is the price because if there is some cost behind the vaccine some may be unable to pay especially if it is expensive. Another major one would be Age, as much as this should not matter it does. People over the age of 65 as people 65 years or older make up 8 out of every 10 deaths from COVID according to the Center for Disease Control (source 1). Because of this the older you are the less likely the vaccine will play a larger role. This means maybe those over 65 may not receive the first round of vaccines. These contextual factors must be considered in any situation especially when it comes to healthcare and this situation is no exception. 

Now to decide who gets the vaccine first. According to a 2020 population count (source 2) there are approximately 326,954 people in fayette county so 33.3% of this would be approximately 108,984 give or take half a person. This would mean that about 108,984 people would be able to get the first round of vaccines. To start I would like to recognize frontline workers such as hospital staff that have been deemed necessary such as doctors, nurses, admins, and sanitary/cleaning staff. This would be because they are most at risk of getting sick and are those we want helping those who are sick so the vaccine will help to increase the amount of hospital staff available to help treat patients. Another group of people I would like to include in this front line workers group would be teachers because their teaching of our youth is extremely important as they are the future. This group and the rest of the people deemed essential should be included in group 1 or highest priority because of their risk of getting sick and importance of their job in fayette. These group 1 citizens of fayette are the most likely to get sick and are ones whose jobs the county cannot go without.

The next group of people who would receive the vaccine would be group 2 who would be made up of those within the age range of 18 to 40 years old depending because this would take up about the last of the third of in fayette county who are most likely to survive the virus as those within this age range are those who are most likely to spread the virus to others meaning if we can stop the spread of the virus using the vaccine we can stop the virus all together. Those who do not qualify for either must maintain their current quarantine and protection until the vaccine can be distributed to the remaining of the population.

Now that we have determined who should receive the vaccine first the next question is how would we distribute it. Here for the university to vaccinate the population you could have the students do the same thing that was done for testing except use it to vaccinate the population of college students. For the Hospital staff and frontline workers you could place like tents and pop up places to vaccinate those within the group 1 and two and even the rest when more of the vaccine becomes available. 

Overall, making these types of decisions is never easy but sometimes it is unavoidable especially during difficult times like these. Above you can see what I would do if the decision were up to me and though it may not be perfect to me it makes the most sense. This vaccine has the ability to help a lot of people and with a good plan there is no reason it can't help everybody.

References: 

1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html
2. https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/ky/fayette-county-population

Campus Construction and COVID

During this past week because of the cooler weather and higher frequency of nice days I have been walking around campus more and noticed the amount of construction on campus and how fast it has come along in the past weeks. I have seen the most improvement in the complete redoing of the chem-phys building on rose street. Since we arrived on campus they only had the supports up and as you can see in the picture below now the exterior has major improvements. You may be wondering why this is important and this is because there are less students on campus and walking to class near that area it has allowed the school to not slow the construction of the building during the school year. Plus because they are able to push all the classes inside to online they don't have to worry about doing the construction in segments and not worry about the noise. This can be seen as one of the few positive things about doing online classes this semester.

This picture shows the construction of the chem-phys building on rose street. This construction would normally be halted during the semester because of the heavy foot traffic through the area but because of the coronavirus the construction was allowed to be continued.

This construction can be seen all over campus such as the tearing down of the old dormitory towers and addition being added on to the student center. These. additions being allowed to be done during the semester is one of the few gifts that this virus has given.