We have overcome wars, economic collapse and even plagues. The 1918 Spanish flu, the great depression and the war in Afghanistan in which we are still have troops overseas fighting in. In many cases, we know what it means to stay strong when we all work towards the same goal. The year 2020 has been a year many of us in our own lifetime could have not prepared for. A pandemic in which a virus has threatened our very existence here on earth. While we seek for our leaders all across the globe to give us guidance and assurance that we will defeat the microscopic enemy, it has not been as easy for many leaders to do so.
The state of our country has been constantly rocked by everything made political. Though, this virus is something that cannot politicalized. The CDC has set a precedent that has been able to guide us in the worse of time which also includes now. With Covid-19 being a virus no one has seen before; we are constantly learning about what it does to humans every day. As time goes on, we see that this virus can travel through the air, we can be infected by merely touching one another. This has made us farther apart as humans. We have been recommended to wear face masks to slow the spread of the virus, but it seems not many can cooperate in such an order. As I said before, everything is political. Between Democrats and Republicans, we see that many people who follow a false narrative see this as hoax or conspiracy. It is detrimental to our safety that we follow science. Many times, we can see that the truth can be distorted to accomplish a political agenda. We can all do our part to slow the spread by wearing masks and making sure we immediately get tested when we feel any symptoms.
As science progresses each day to come up with a solution to combat this virus, we continue to meet roadblock after roadblock. The main object in helping us to defeat this virus is vaccines. According to a report by the NPR, Dr. Fauci exclaimed “We don’t know yet what the efficacy might be. We don’t know if it will be 50% or 60%,” during an event in August. It is too soon to make a scientific call on what to expect. Despite so much negativity upon what can occur when vaccines begin to roll out to a small portion of population there is optimism. “All these remaining unknowns, it is safe to say that any such vaccine against the coronavirus could play a significant role in reducing the spread of the virus.” As stated by physician Bill Miller of The Ohio State University College of Public Health. The science can be rough but there is a small window of hope if we even partially begin to win against the virus. In the future there will be either more or fewer guidelines as we go. The sad truth is that this has now become our new reality.
With the so many companies competing with one another to find the cure, their objectives are constantly shifted as well. According to a report by the NY Times, the CDC quietly changed some guidelines that are given as recommendations for the general public to follow. The CDC now states that “to exclude people who do not have symptoms of Covid-19 — even if they have been recently exposed to the virus.” The mystery of this change shocks experts, but the virus shocks everyone. The reason for this could be due to the lack of resources we also have. Much of the United States has had a shortage of medical supplies to combat Covid-19. This change be the CDC needing to help fight for the most vulnerable in our society. As the virus continues to wreak havoc onto our humanity, it feels that our fight has just begun. As a population, we have to come together.
References
1. Aubrey, A. (2020, September 12). A COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Only 50% Effective. Is That Good Enough? Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/09/12/911987987/a-covid-19-vaccine-may-be-only-50-effective-is-that-good-enough
2. Wu, K. (2020, August 25). C.D.C. Now Says People Without Covid-19 Symptoms Do Not Need Testing. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/health/covid-19-testing-cdc.html
