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.

Blog Evaluation #1 Continued

     According to the Mayo Clinic sickle cell disease is a disorder that affects the red blood cells. It is a disorder that is prominently found in African American individuals. It causes red blood cells to be formed in the shape of a sickle. This causes a lack of healthy blood cells, resulting in sickle cell anemia. Some of the symptoms of sickle cell disease include fatigue, low red blood cells, and infections. This also includes shortness of breath and low oxygen levels. Due to the effects of this disorder, COVID-19 can have a very adverse effect on the health of an individual. The American Society of Hematology reports patients with sickle cell disease reflect predetermined poor effects if they contract COVID-19.

    While COVID-19 seems to be a disease that is bound to trigger a poor reaction in individuals with sickle cell disease, officials are not certain because they do not know. Stat News reports officials only make this assumption because past flue pandemics have reflected worse outcomes in this patients compared to others. Another factor health officials are unsure about is the presence of the trait, not the disease. Deneen Votja, a former pediatrician with a background in Hematology noticed that patients who contracted COVID-19 had x-rays similar to those with sickle cell disease. She believes this information could be valuable. One thing that I can personally be sure about is that the individual experience I had with my family friend definitely suffered more because of her sickle cell anemia symptoms and COVID-19. And while I have no scientific proof to back her situation, her experience with COVID-19 is definitely similar to those with underlying health conditions but not as much as the general public, and her case, along with others, should be a major focus when deciding how to treat and prevent the spread of COVID-19

Blog Evaluation #1

    CSF, otherwise known as Christian Student Fellowship, is a Christian student organization on campus that hosts a lot of events that usually has a great turnout. My freshman year, this organization threw a large luau for students on campus. There were food, drinks, a DJ, and even a large mosh pit. However, due to COVID restrictions, they couldn't have that event. In place of that, they attempted to have a socially distanced bonfire. Their attempt at having the bonfire resulted in a large number of students being crowded around bonfires for s'mores. It also resulted in the organization being shutdown temporarily because of the violations of COVID-19 restrictions. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a longer incident of the people surrounding the fire pits in the parking lot.

    On-campus, students have very differing views about COVID-19. Many people follow protocol, but the same number of people do not. I think it's less animosity that students who follow protocol exhibit. There haven't been any altercations that I know of on campus regarding mask wearing and social distancing. I think more people feel frustration. They are ruining our ability to see each other on and off campus. These students operate in society too, and the actions they take not only affect students but the public as well. But it is not only these individuals who are not successful with prevention. The second test I took was to prove negative results in order to join a student organization here on campus. With that being said, I took that test, and the people who checked me in had issues printing out my medical information. The 48-hour window for receiving my results turned into three weeks. I emailed university health services and never got a response. So, I could be spreading COVID-19 and not even know it. I know that I am not the only person this has happened to. It happened to one of my friends that lives here on campus as well. The testing facilities have somewhat dropped the ball in terms of prevention. Thus, it makes it difficult to enforce laws and restrictions so that society to get back to "normal".

    

Home Visit #1

     I recently went home to surprise my family. I left on Saturday, September 5th. Initially, I was apprehensive to go home. Before I moved out, my family was talking about what would happen if I got COVID and needed to quarantine off-campus. We have one room upstairs for someone to quarantine if anyone got it. I took a test right two days before I left, but I have yet to receive my results as of today. So, I honestly had no idea if I would need to quarantine. My parents talked about sending me clothes for Winter instead of coming home to visit like usual. In this instance, my family didn't seem to care and everyone hugged me.

    One thing that made me the most nervous was being infected and visiting my grandparents. I initially didn't want to visit them at all because I honestly didn't know if I was positive. My parents made me go visit them, but I had to have on a mask. That's something I didn't have to worry about when I was living at home because I didn't go anywhere with COVID outbreaks. 

    When COVID first hit, my brother and sister-in-law wouldn't let us touch my nephew because they were scared he would get it from us. Right before I left, they decided to change that and began to let us hold and play with him. However, this time when I visited they wouldn't let myself, my sister, or my parents hold him because I was home visiting. They will not let my family touch him anymore for at least two weeks after I have left. Things like this make me feel guilty and selfish for coming home. I told them I probably wouldn't visit anymore until it was time for Thanksgiving. Even then I didn't plan on having a family dinner with them because I have no way to self-quarantine for two weeks right before Thanksgiving Break. Having COVID-19 as a factor to worry about when visiting family makes it hard to work past the risk of exposure and it brings up a lot of undesired thoughts.

Blog Evaluation Portion Continued:

     In my hometown, Henderson, Kentucky, there has been a total of 686 positive COVID-19 cases as of September 24th. Most of those cases have been located within areas of the city where more people reside such as neighborhoods and businesses. We have a large number of residents that live out in secluded areas with farmland, so those people may be at less of a risk due to less interaction with others. I think many people in my town has this general consensus that there is no worry that COVID will affect them. I go into many smalls business and people don't wear masks. They aren't limiting contact with others or social distancing. My friends and their family aren't concerned like my family is.

    When trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19, most of my family has the same mentality. Everyone follows guidelines set as much as possible. They all want to socially distance and wear masks. My grandparents, parents, and siblings all have mostly the same thoughts about the pandemic. My extended family feels the same way as well. However, my brother and sister-in-law are extra cautious because my nephew is only 1 year old. They don't want to expose him to anything. I can sympathize with their thinking because I don't want anything to happen to him. On the other hand, some of the actions they take as prevention can be a little extreme and inconsistent. For example, when I visited and they wouldn't let me contact him the stated they would be able to do more in a little. That basically insinuated that he couldn't be around me because of cases here at UK. They were also like this during the beginning stages of quarantine. My thought was they would have my family quarantine for two weeks before visiting again. The very next weekend, they allowed him to do everything he wanted and my family to babysit him. To point out, the quarantine time period is 14 days.

COVID Diet

     My diet relative to the COVID outbreak hasn't really changed. Before the outbreak, I ate relatively healthy. I didn't eat much junk food. The most unhealthy food I ate was on campus from places like the dining halls or Papa Johns. In the dining halls, I usually tried to eat from True Balance because I personally grew tired of the options these places had to offer. Even before then, I tried to eat healthy at home. My mom and doctor wanted me to have a more vegetable-based diet because I have elevated cholesterol levels for my age and was at risk because of my family's health history. However, I tended to ignore that more often than I should.

    When the pandemic first hit, I ate a lot more home cooked meals, which I definitely missed on campus. My family definitely eats more healthy than campus. The only significant difference between home and school was my soda intake. I avoided it and drank mostly water on campus. However, the sky was the limit at home. I helped my family go through multiple cases of mountain dew, coke, and sprite during my time at home. We didn't eat out much because we feared exposure to the disease. That changed as time went on. My family faced no financial challenges, and thus no food shortages. In fact, we saved money in some cases. We only suffered food shortages in places where stores did. Meat shortages caused us to shop for places where it was cheaper because the Fresh Market raised the price per pound back to regular price.

    Individuals in my immediate family never had an issue accessing doctors. I, along with other members of my family, didn't need to see doctors until later on during quarantine when things were beginning to open slowly. My nephew, however, had to wait for his 1 year check-up, which would've been right around when quarantine started. He turned 1 years-old right when we were sent home.

COVID-19 Information

     The first time I heard about the coronavirus was during a lecture of last spring semester in my Biology 152 course with Dr. Seth Jones. He gave the students in the class an in-depth run down of what scientists knew about the disease at the time. Of course, when reports of the coming pandemic occurred, we did not know much and I had no desire to learn more because I thought the virus would pass over the United States. That was clearly an incorrect statement both then and now. When I discovered the severity of the disease and after learning that we would be sent home for spring break plus the additional two weeks, I decided to do some of my own research. I used what I would consider trusted sources. My initial search brought up information from the World Health Organization. I wanted what I learned to be true and trustworthy. 

    Throughout quarantine and the beginning stages of the pandemic I also used information from trusted large media companies such as CNN and MSNBC. While these sources could be biased, the information and stories these sources provided had no reason to considering everyone is affected by a global pandemic. I wanted the information I shared to be true for when I shared the information with others. I wanted myself to be properly educated. I had a hard time trusting information posted on social media because so much of that can be doctored. I had multiple older family and church members sending me information from Facebook posts that seemed suspect. My cousin from Michigan even messaged me a video of a man ranting and cussing about the government's intent to kill off part of the population.

    I choose to use official sources so that I am not spreading rumors or false information to others because that makes me look like I'm not a credible source, and I want them to be properly educated too. For example, I had a friend tell me that on campus cases were currently on the rise and are at 500 cases. When I went to check, the university had around 400 active cases, which is less than 2% of the school's population. Now, I only choose to believe the information provided on the official testing site for the University of Kentucky.

COVID-19 Data Dashboard

    This pandemic has become a very politically-related issue. My family unanimously agrees that Donald Trump is easily the worst leader for our country during something like this. His decisions to downplay the affects of this virus has left many people infected and dead. I think those numbers definitely explains the seriousness and danger it presents. People have gotten into multiple arguments and fights in public places over masks and distancing. I think if we had a president who had a political background instead of a business background this country would be in a better place right now. For most people, these statements can be seen as a source of contention with some of my peers and their parents, but I don't say them because I choose not to rock the boat and I already have the BLM movement to deal with right now.

Prospective COVID Prevention

         With initial testing rates and reports from the university's testing sites and other students my initial thought was that students would not be sent home. The starting testing numbers were at approximately 200 positive cases on campus. Compared to the cases as of last week, which were around 400 active cases. Around this time is also when the dorms on campus pushed the day for visitation from UK-only students back from September 7th to September 21st. The number of cases on campus has forced the university dorm rooms to do this. As of this week, the university is back down to around 300 active cases. 

    I think there is still a large possibility that students are sent home for the semester, and I honestly think it might happen now. With the way cases have increased recently, the university might take drastic measures in order to prevent major outbreaks. Major entities on campus have not consistently followed protocols established by university officials. Students don't follow the rules. I can't honestly say I have followed every rule perfectly. Fraternity and Sorority life has been retested because major outbreaks have occurred involving members from those groups. This most likely means students are having large events without wearing the proper personal protective equipment or social distancing. Since before moving in my family has been saying to me they don't think students will be on campus very long. They were reluctant to buy some things before move in because of this possibility, and I can definitely see why.

    Speaking of protocols, the university has developed extensive rules for students to follow all across campus. Many places have significantly reduced the amount of seating and people allowed in certain buildings across campus such as the 90, Champion's Kitchen, and the Student Center. Even the elevator is limited to two people or one family per ride.

    They have also gone on to require masks in all places on campus, as well as signs on the ground signifying six feet distance. While these are the most simple to follow, students still do not do so. This can be seen with one of the beginning on-campus events that happened around move-in. CSF hosted a bonfire, and it did not go as planned.

About Me

     Hello, my name is Jordan Smith. I am a sophomore from Henderson, Kentucky, a small, rural town in western Kentucky. I am a 19 year-old African American male in a town that is predominantly Caucasian. I am majoring in Neuroscience on a pre-medicine track. I consider myself to be middle class. My family and I live in a populated neighborhood that can be considered the suburbs.

    As far as COVID-19 goes, most of my family has had no interaction with the disease, except for a few of my cousins that live together. My immediate family- my parents, and my sister- all live together and self-isolated for the most part at the beginning of all of this. I moved back home in March when everyone was forced to move out of the dorms. At the beginning, I wasn't allowed to visit anyone other than family. This means I didn't see any of my friends until late April or early May. The lack of social isolation, the strain of being with my family 24/7, and the transition back home to online school took a toll on me. I struggled with my schoolwork, and I was always stressed. Eventually, I finished school and was allowed to visit my friends more often, but only with masks and social distancing. My brother and his family, who lived separately, wouldn't let us hold my nephew whenever they visited. We all just sat around outside and watched him run around. People began to get careless when reopening occurred, myself included. I went to stores and restaurants more. I saw my friends more without proper distancing and masks. I never got the disease, nor did my family or friends. I only know a few people who had it. One that sticks out to me is a family friend's niece that I knew very well. She sadly passed away from the disease at age 21. She had cicle cell anemia, and she was alone in Atlanta, GA when she passed because her family didn't want her to spread COVID-19 to them.

    My family handled the pandemic very well. We all mostly followed protocols such as masks, hand washing, hand sanitizer, and social distancing. We didn't struggle financially. My dad was able to start working from home for part of the week. My mom still went in every weekday for work. My family had to take on a little more responsibility by doing things for my grandmothers so they wouldn't out in the public and exposed to the virus.