The Race to Dominating Power

     Because of recent tensions between the United States and China, I am afraid to see the outcome of a world where China becomes the first to develop an effective cure for the Coronavirus. In a world where China does win this struggle for power I see tensions between countries continuing to worsen until countries reach a capacity where they can no longer cooperate in a civil manner.

    China is currently trying to assure other countries such as Bangladesh, India, and other countries reliant on them that their vaccine will prove to be the most effective of the countries, rendering them financially supportive of the country and stuck in a position where if they chose not to support the country they will end up without any vaccines and worse off because of it. It's like making a deal with the devil. If a Chinese vaccine proves most effective, they will be able to manipulate other countries who are at their mercy into doing their will.

    I don't see any resolve of tension between the United States and China, especially if they have the most effective vaccine first. The two countries were already in a tough spot because of the great debate of tariffs. The United States decided to raise tariffs. Now, because of a failure to contain the virus to China resulted in their country's leader attempting to make up for their major mistake, but it gave President Trump the opportunity to inappropriately name the Coronavirus the "Chinavirus". These factors have given no reason for China to be supportive of the United States, other than their financial influence over us because of their ability to mass produce goods and ship them to us. With China already producing a major portion of personal protective and medical equipment needed to sustain ourselves during a pandemic, them having the most effective vaccine in addition to that could turn out to be deadly for other countries, especially the United States. With this power, they could become the forefront of decision-making in the world. Us having evidence that Chinese entities have illegally hacked the United States' databases for information on a COVID-19 vaccine gives me reason to believe that China will do anything in its power to be the best, especially if it meant stomping other countries.

Covid Vaccine & Global Cooperations

    Making decisions in regards to distributing a vaccine for the disease requires communication between all parts of the world. Because each country has different resources to offer in the process of creating a vaccine each one will require input from each country to establish an effective method to defeating the pandemic. For example, one country may create the vaccine, another country may test the vaccine, while another may be prominent in distributing the vaccine to other countries.

    One major factor is the implementation of safety trials. Before the vaccine can be considered for distribution across the world for a substantial effect it must be tested on individuals and go through multiple trials. This will include the use of subjects across different environments and with genetic and health differences to make sure it works for people of different backgrounds.

    Effectively defeating the pandemic will require the involvement of both government officials and corporate companies for production. Scientists must communicate to each other in order to create a vaccine in the most efficient way. They must also design a way to mass produce the vaccine as well. This will most likely need to include major companies. Government officials must share to the people of their countries and other countries how each country falls in line to receive the vaccine and who urgently needs it more than another.

    To distribute, companies must create a way to distribute supplies from country to country effectively. Needles, syringes, and other things such as personal protective equipment must be shared between countries to administer the vaccine. You must also consider the factor of what would be the most efficient way for the vaccine to travel. Would it be by air, ground, or water? And how would these vaccines be stored? An article posted by David Gelles from the New York Times wrote that some vaccines bust be kept at around 80º C. There are most likely time constraints on how long a vaccine is viable on ice as well.

COVID & Mental Health

     One topic that I wish our university and society supported more often is mental health. Embarking in these conversations as a shared and united community would, in my opinion, support this community in a new way. Many college students suffer because of the classwork and their workload. The university has provided many services to support students such as academic advisors and counselors in the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center on campus. However, these resources may have been deemed less effective because tough topics and conversations are being forced to have over internet phone calls.

    The beginning of this pandemic was tough for me personally. I moved back home with my family who added work and stress to an already stressful semester. I was forced into isolation for months. I saw no one other than my 7 closest family members during this time. I felt like I lost a lot over the course of the past 5 months, with the most important being motivation. 

    Along with this, our country has been in a state of panic and chaos because of the disagreements regarding COVID. Not only has our country become divided by this issue, they have also become isolated by majority groups such as African Americans and other people of color and the Black Lives Matter movement. And the final cherry on top is the presidential election. 

    On top of the feelings COVID has forced upon me, it has brought a lot of time and periods of self reflection. One thing I've realized is that being a black man in America is tough. People will be against you. They will try to tear you down. Life will intervene. But the one thing that I have struggled to stay focused on through all of this is that having faith and conquering your issues will be worth the ending result.

College During a Pandemic

   Embarking on an educational journey during this time  has become increasingly harder, and yet easier in some ways, because of the restrictions the pandemic has placed on us. In most ways I don't believe COVID has provided students with an equal opportunity for learning. It has limited students' abilities to have chances for hands-on learning and practice in the classroom setting across the board in the educational system. For example, my nephew has not been in the daycare center interacting with other children and participating in activities that exposes him to new environments to enhance his sense-related processes. In terms of our campus environment, we are in a similar situation because many of the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and students of other related classes are at a disadvantage because they have lost the ability work on skills in the lab setting. Online learning has normalized using outside resources and just completing assignments instead of learning organically and memorizing material for future classes in a beneficial way that contributes to your overall knowledge.

    COVID-19 has caused me to struggle with some of my most important classes. I have gotten closer to failing than I would like to admit. Pass/ Fail saved my life last semester. I cannot fully put the blame on the situation COVID put me in, but it has contributed to the mentality ande effort I show towards classes. It has genuinely caused me to rethink my whole degree and Pre-Medicine track. I think implementing a plan for students regarding Pass/ Fail as a last resort option would be a great idea for students. I think it would take a lot of pressure and stress off the mind's of students regarding GPA. I know students who are fighting for the option to have change their grading scale at Murray State University. They are currently creating and signing petitions. I don't see many issues with changing to Pass/Fail because you only fail if you receive an E in a class. That means more students than usual may be passing classes. That, however, may become an issue for university officials.

    This pandemic has definitely left me in a place where I am less competitive. My grades are not where they should be for medical school applications. I have lost opportunities to volunteer, shadow, work, and research because COVID has forced us to limit interactions with other individuals. COVID has left myself, along with others, in a vulnerable position because of the way it has forced us to change what we considered to be our "normal" lifestyles.

UK Core Issue: How do We Distribute Covid Vaccines?

    I, as much as anyone else, has been looking forward to the day that a vaccine is created to put a stop to this pandemic. There are many things to consider when creating a plan for the distribution of the vaccine. The people of the United States realize that it will take a significant amount of time to produce an accurate and effective vaccine that also doesn't harm the individuals of the country. If the public were to be released to the public in a limited capacity, the most important factors that should be considered when distributing to Kentucky include: underlying health issues, frontline healthcare workers, effect based on age group, and location.

    In order to effectively distribute the vaccines in a safe way, state health officials should have jurisdiction over what areas of the cities and counties are given vaccines for even distribution. State departments should also have the ability to control the amount of vaccines given to specific regions that way highly populated areas aren't given the same amount of vaccines as less populated areas. Local health departments should then decide what hospitals, clinics, and other health-related areas are given vaccines within specific regions. Specials areas can be created such as mobile units similar to blood drives or tents outside to limit capacity and enforce social distancing.

   The most important factor for the United States would be underlying health issues. Because individuals who have pre-existing health conditions are already predisposed to be greatly affected by the virus because of their weakened body performance and compromised immune systems, individuals who are considered part of this group should receive vaccines earlier on than other individuals. Other individuals whose body's are better prepared to fight off the virus should take a backseat over others in order to help prevent the unnecessary loss of lives. I mentioned in an earlier post that a friend of mine with sickle cell anemia passed away after getting the Coronavirus. I even fit into this category because I am at a higher risk because I have asthma, and COVID-19 is a disease that affects the lungs.

    Following this group, adults who can be considered senior citizens should follow as second on the list. The older you are, the more at risk you are to be hospitalized due to the virus. According to the CDC, 8 out of every 10 deaths due to Coronavirus is 65 and older. Also, they are at risk of having complications due to the flu. Older adults also account for the most flu-related deaths. Another age-related aspect to consider is having college-age students receive the vaccine. It may not be as essential or important because our age demographic can fight off the disease relatively well, but we seem to be a big part of the reason Lexington's case numbers have increased. This can be seen across the United States, where some colleges have decided to revert to online classes only. This could be prevented in our area if the university took the same course of action.

    Healthcare workers who are directly in contact with patients who test positive should also receive the vaccine early on. Giving these workers the vaccine would be essential because they are at the most risk due to the fact that they work with these patients on a daily basis. Giving them the vaccine prevents healthcare professionals from spreading the virus to their family and friends. This would also allow them to experience more social interaction because some workers have had to decrease interaction to avoid the spread.

COVID-19 Memes

    Social media and memes have become a significant portion of the way the world operates, especially even more now due to isolation for the COVID-19 pandemic. It has become a major way people across the internet share their feelings on the situation. Many of the accounts I follow have made informative posts, while some have used the situation to spread laughter. In the following posts shown below, account managers attempt to show a different type of humor regarding COVID-19. 

    The meme shown above is one that details the United States current stance with COVID-19. The post comes from a post on Instagram from an account named Embracingblackculture. This post creates a Blacks versus Whites battle in terms of the way we deal with the pandemic. Black people throw shade at white people because many of them seem to be denying protocol for preventing the spread of COVID. It is humorous in a certain way because it seems to be the general consensus between the Black community that white people aren't doing what needs to be done for the sake of the country in different areas of the world. I think irony can be found in this situation because I know that some of the articles I've been reading for class have specifically stated that African Americans & their communities are at higher risk for exposure to the virus due to a lack of resources invested in low income areas created because of things like redlining. Those two situations provided by the meme and the article are somewhat contrasting and allows different individuals of the same community really evaluate the difference in perspective.

This post also comes from the account Embracingblackculture on Instagram. This meme references another country, Indonesia, and the way they are dealing with certain aspects of the Pandemic. In Indonesia, anti-maskers are being punished by being forced to dig graves for patients who passed away due to COVID-19. In some ways, this is ironic because it's almost as if the leaders of the country are showing anti-maskers where they may end up if they continue to disobey government authority. Another viewer picks up on this & makes the comment "This approach seems to have a lot going for it." Another aspect of this approach is that if grave diggers do get sick from COVID at least it will be individuals who don't seem to care since they don't wear masks.