Niki Novakis ‘24, Staff Writer
What We Know about COVID-19
As of April 22, 2021, it has been calculated that approximately 3,075,512 people worldwide have died from the life-changing, tragic Coronavirus pandemic. It is safe to say that COVID-19 completely dominated the year of 2020. Not one person could have imagined that a disease that originated in Wuhan, China, could have traveled all around the world. This devastating virus was foreign, and something that everyone could never have imagined affecting daily life. From learning how to live in a new world of wearing masks and/or gloves everywhere, using hand sanitizer after touching every surface, having to quarantine and not being able to socialize with anyone, and not being able to travel, this pandemic has permanently left us all with a new way of life. After almost a whole entire year of learning how to live with this frightening illness, and lots of hard work from the CDC and others, we finally have access to a possible cure and form of protection from the Coronavirus: the vaccine.
The Devastating Impact
“Everything was happening so quickly. Everyone was dying so quickly. We had to go from one death to another and the next. I was imagining it happening to my family and being in a situation like that,” said Marc Ayoub, a resident physician at the Elmhurst hospital in New York. Whether people have gotten a mild or intense strain of COVID-19, it is clear that many people have been affected by it in a negative way. The health impacts that were experienced from this virus were, and still are, catastrophic. Those who are more susceptible and have underlying health conditions are at far more risk than younger, healthier individuals. Mental health for several thousands of people has significantly gotten worse, as well. After very long trials, the anticipation of a possible vaccine was appeased, as the first COVID-19 vaccine finally got endorsed by the FDA. Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID vaccine were then shipped out to hospitals and other places for front-line workers to start receiving them. There was finally light at the end of the tunnel.
A Possible Cure to the Life-Altering COVID Pandemic
On April 19, 2021, it was declared by the Governor of Pennsylvania’s (Tom Wolfe) administration that every adult is now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. As of now, over 2.2 million Americans have already been vaccinated. It has been a very slow distributing process; however, it is now time for Americans to make a choice to get the vaccine in order to move forward in the fight against Coronavirus.
Yesterday, I took a drive to Aston, Pennsylvania, to take the photograph I have included above. The photo is of the Aston Community Center & Library, a COVID-19 vaccine site where I went to get my first Moderna dose last month. This vaccine distribution center, along with many other locations, are saving people day by day. When I went to get my first dose at the Aston Community Center & Library, I was very pleased to see how many people were there to get vaccinated. While the COVID-19 vaccine itself is very controversial as it is brand new, it is a choice one must make for him or herself.
As this upcoming fall semester at Immaculata approaches, all students will be required to attend in-person classes. In order to protect one another, each student should consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine. While not every vaccine made protects us 100%, it is going to be important to remember that having some defense against the virus is better than having none at all.
