The Family Bubble

Those living with you in the same home are the family bubble that you will be with and separated from others for the duration of the pandemic until enough people are immunized against the COVID virus.

The family bubble must wear masks and social distance when they go outside the home.

Until there is enough vaccine to inoculate at least seventy percent of the population restrictions will remain in place.

The vaccine requires two shots about three weeks apart for each person, which means that the total number of vials and does is cut in half.

The richer the country the sooner that its population can receive the vaccine and the poorer countries will have to wait which could take until 2022 for the world population to have enough people vaccinated to stop the virus worldwide.

Now that a vaccine is available, it will take well into 2021 for enough people immunized to lower restrictions, new cases, and deaths if people will follow protocols to slow down the virus.

This is a long term problem that is likely to become endemic meaning that it may be a recurring problem that may require injections every year like for other strains of the flu in the fall of the year because doctors don’t know of any long term effects of the vaccine in preventing infection from COVID.

Because people traveled during Thanksgiving there has been a delayed spike in new cases of infection and deaths that have caused more stay home orders in many cities. This will continue to get worse if people do the same during this Christmas of Hanukkah.

We all need to stay within our family bubble this holiday season so that we have more with extended family and friends in the future.

It is going to be hard to stay distanced and staying home but we must do it to protect family and friends.

Hang in and look to the future when we can regain some normality in our lives.

Things will never be the same as it was before the pandemic but there will come a time when we will be able to move about freely without masks and enjoy activities just like before the virus changed everything.

Wear your mask, social distance, and practice personal hygiene for now.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

How Long Before You Get The Vaccine?

Great Britain is getting the vaccine from Pfizer on December 8, 2020 while the FDA is still reviewing the data to see if they will certify the vaccine for emergency use authorization.

After the FDA confirms the use of the vaccine there will only be enough for 1 out of 10 healthcare workers and not enough for everyone in the high risk groups that should get the vaccine first.

The epidemiologists do not know if the people who get vaccinated can still spread the virus. The people who receive the vaccine will have to be monitored to determine if they can spread the  virus after both injections.

There are currently manufacturing and distribution problems to overcome.

The current president and Congress have been silent and have no national plan for the vaccine. We do not know how the incoming president-elect and the new Congress will work together or how long it will take to have a national plan to distribute the vaccine to every state or how each state will allocate the vaccine to cities and towns.

The entire world population will need to follow safety guidelines for the foreseeable future until enough people are vaccinated to reduce the risk of being infected with COVID, which could be well into 2021 or early 2022 because no one knows when there will be enough vaccine for the world and each countries population to be vaccinated

There is no study data to determine if COVID will become endemic like other influenzas that require vaccines every year during the fall during what is called the flu season.

Until the vaccine is used widespread the infections and death toll will continue to mount.

Each of us must follow the CDC protocols of wearing a multilayered cloth mask, social distance, do not gather outside our living bubble, and practice personal hygiene until the CDC says it is okay to do so again.

If we practice personal responsibility safety protocols, we also protect others that might be vulnerable to the virus.

Be safe and follow the CDC’s and your doctor’s advice to be able to gather later when the virus is no longer a threat.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

When Will WE Be Able to Live Without Masks and Social Distancing?

Until we can get the people to believe that COVID is real and not believe the disinformation for the current lame duck president who has lied more in the past for years than most people in America masks, social distancing, and limiting gathering this virus will continue to spread and kill untold numbers of people.

There is a limited supply of a vaccine on the way but the it will be many months until there is enough vaccine for every person in the world to be vaccinated against this virus.

There are still many people known as anti-vaxers that do not believe in any type of vaccine, which is why many diseases are returning to become deadly or people again like chickenpox, smallpox, measles, and more.

Can we get everyone in the world to accept this vaccine?

Many people do not get a flu shot every year like doctor’s recommend.

Will you get one when it is available sometime in the middle of 2021?

Will you be able to be around people if you don’t know if they got the shot or not?

Will we become a society that wears masks for years to come to keep safe and protect our families?

Will the government step in and make it a law that everyone must be given the vaccine even if we do not know about any long-term side effects yet?

Since this vaccine was created so quickly, who is willing to trust it since the president spent so much time denying the science and saying that the virus was a hoax and the seventy million people that voted for him believe him over the scientists?

There are many factors that will be involved in people deciding to get the vaccine when if becomes available to the world-wide average public not the healthcare workers and first responders.

The best plan is to plan for the worst and hope for the best outcome.

The current virus is mimicking the same way the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic spread and had peaks and valleys. It was not clear until early 1921.

We do not know if this pandemic will be the same because there are millions of people more than in 1918 across the world.

We also do not know if this vaccine will be required every year like the ones we are told to take every flu season because the scientists do not know since we have a vaccine but no long term study of the efficacy since they will have to study to get the vaccine for years to come,

Because the administration did nothing up front, and the people believing that the virus is not as deadly as scientists say and thousands dying daily, we will be paying the price for inaction for years to come.

We must commit to following the protocols that the CDC says we need to for our safety and the safety of others.

Be safe!

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

When Will Get Back to Normal?

A vaccine is the works, but we won’t know whether it will ready for distribution until doctors review the data tom determine when the vaccine will be distributed to health care workers.

There must be a process for distribution for the vaccine to the front-line workers first. The doeses will be one injection then wait for 3 weeks to28 days for a booster injection.

No long-term studies are available to determine if there are any long-term effects or if this vaccine will have to be used on a yearly basis like many flu shots are today.

The doses made are for the world and not just one country. The doses manufactured are not enough for all of the front-line workers in America since the total number of available doses is cut in half because each person willing to take the vaccine will need two shots of the same vaccine by whichever one they get from a manufacturer. If you get one from Moderna your second one has to be from Moderna. You can’t mix companies because the vaccines are different.

As a country the earliest possibility of everyone that wants it to be injected with a vaccine is some time in the second quarter of 2021.

What about the people that don’t trust vaccines or the government to offer something that is safe and available to everyone including the rural areas with the requirement to keep the vaccine at cold temperatures that most places don’t have the equipment for including most pharmacies.

Who is going to determine how and who gets the vaccine first by those most at risk?

How will each state determine where to start?

With the temperatures so low one removed it only lasts about two days.

There are numerous questions to be answered.

We still need to wear masks, practice social distancing, and personal hygiene for months to come that will take us well into the 2021 or the beginning of 2022 just like the 1918 pandemic that ended in 1921.

Everyone needs to protect themselves so that they protect everyone around them.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

Will Thanksgiving Become a Super Spreader?

With many students and others traveling for Thanksgiving Day, there could be a major spike in COVID infections and more deaths because it takes up to three weeks for incubation to occur in testing for positive cases.

It is amazing how many people don’t take the plague seriously and put not only themselves at risk but others as well just because their need for gathering is stronger than their personal safety.

This this pandemic is manifesting in other ways.

Students forced into using online classes are failing in numbers higher than iin class instruction.

This illustrates the disparity in resources and equipment. To be effective all students must have high speed internet and equipment to connect and interact with the teachers.

A parent is essential for the student to be there on time and doing any homework given. Many students are not self-disciplined enough to work on their lessons without supervision of some kind.

Normal testing of students must be ut off for now because of this pandemic and will be taking standardized testing in 2022 because any data taking in 2021 is not a true representation of the student’s progress to be measured and properly evaluated to determine the educational level of the students.

Without proper planning and a federal level plan to assist states and local governments this pandemic has become a fly by the seat of the pants experiment that has failed all definition.

We have students missing meals, lacking resources, lacking equipment, and the infrastructure to achieve the goals of education.

The poorer states with many working poor and minorities living in rural areas are hardest hit at all levels during normal times but this lack of states to build the internet for all has been exacerbated by COVID.

We have also seen our elected officials do noting to assits those in need like most other industrialized countries while the rich have gain in wealth and people remain unemployed with few options or any outlook of being employed again because of the loss of small businesses.

We must all practice safety protocols t protect ourselves that will also help others.

Vaccines are coming but the reality is that most people won’t be able to get the vaccine and will have to wear mask for most of 2021 or possibly the beginning of 2022.

Until then we all have to do what is necessary to protect the people within the home bubble (those that live in the same house since the beginning of the pandemic) and prepare for COVID to be endemic like the seasonal flus.

While information about this virus grows, no one knows the long-term effects of both the virus or the vaccines.

Until we the people are willing to do everything necessary to stop this virus we don’t know what anything resembling normal will be or when in-class instruction will be safe for everyone to return to the classroom again.

Over 0ne million younger people have tested positive for the virus and no one knows if there will be long-term effects health wise.

The country is still waiting to see what happens next in creating a plan to stop this virus and reduce the number of new cases and deaths that are overburdening the health care system and the manufacture of personal protective equipment.

Do your part in stopping this plague by following the recommendations from the CDC and your doctor.

Stay safe!

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

Thanks’ Giving Day 2020

With millions expected to travel this holiday, give it about two to three weeks to see if this will be a super spreader event causing ore cases and deaths from the Corona virus.

Depending on the number of doses of a vaccine available and the distribution logistics along with who gets the vaccine first prepare for mask wearing well into 2021 or perhaps 2022 until enough people take the vaccine to offer enough immunity for the population of the country.

There are many ho don’t believe in vaccinations of any type and those that still believe COVID is not real and will gather with many more deaths that are unnecessary because of the known techniques to protect you and those close to you.

There could be 160,000+ new cases just from the people that are traveling this Thanksgiving holiday. No one knows for sure it could be more or fewer but why take a chance.

To stay safe and protect your loved ones listen to the doctors that suggest limiting this holiday to just those that have been living with you since the beginning of this health crisis and do not extend your guests to friends and others possibly contacting the virus because although someone might test negative today who knows how they will test tomorrow.

Enough vaccine may not be available for mass injection until well into 2021.

The vaccine is only tested on adults o far not on children. Long term monitoring of these adults will be necessary t determine if the vaccines are suitable for children.

We don’t know how the priority of who gets the vaccine first and then what will be the distribution for the population at large will be regulated as the vaccine is manufactured, also who gets which vaccine since there are multiple companies making a vaccine.

COVID fatigue is real we can become complacent to relax until this crisis is over that will be months in the future will be a disaster.

This will remain a threat for the future and could become endemic for the rest of our lives.

We don’t know about people we interact with, so it is up to each of us to protect ourselves thereby protecting others even if they don’t believe that COVID is real.

As of November 25, 2020, there have been 261,000+ deaths with 2,000+ deaths in one day.

Hard to believe that people still think it’s a hoax.

The current president and he GOP controlled Congress have done nothing to conquer this virus but have offered misinformation and social media platforms haven’t done a good job separating fact from fiction.

Some states are so bad the doctors are talking about closing schools for the entire winter.

Over the past four years this country has become more divided than ever before partly because of the tribalism between the parties that have created a party first mentality rather than a country first mentality.

We need a truly educated populace about how the government is supposed to work and an electorate willing to hold our representatives accountable for their actions or non-actions.

There once was a fair reporting doctrine that held news organizations to reporting the truth. We had a president through his FCC (Federal Communications Commission) removed it, which allowed media outlets to lie to the public.

This is referred to as the dumbing down of America.

The “no child left behind” mandate also contributed to are school becoming less on education and more on how to take tests lowering our ranking in the world compared to other industrialized countries.

Please follow the advice of people that have spent their lives studying viruses and doctors not social media and politicians.

Learn to do your own research and think for yourself because of provable facts and not conjecture.

Stay safe and protect your loved ones by keeping gathers small and following the hygiene protocols from the CDC.

Happy Thanks’ Giving Day!

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

Long Term Online Classes

With the rate of COVID infections on the rise in over half of the states and school closures happening in some counties in states in some cases, the entire state like Kentucky that recently mandated that all lasses be online while universities in the Boston area told students that if they go home for Thanks Giving break to not come back but to switch to online classes.

It would appear that online classes will be the normal for some time to come. It will be up to the states to insure that all students have the equipment and resources for students and teachers to function under the distance learning to procced equitably for all students.

A Reuters poll found that 52% of believe that Trump won the election and follow him believing in misinformation and untruths on social media via his tweets.

There are people in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) that are dying with COVID who refuse to believe that COVID is real and that they have it. People are not willing to wear masks and many do not trust vaccines and will not take them if and when they are widely available.

There is no plan coming from the current administration about how or who should get the first batch of vaccines. Where is the money for the vaccinations and the people to administer the most vulnerable first like health care workers, first responders, people with preexisting conditions, and the elderly. This will require billions of doses in America but there are only million does available currently. Testing and manufacturing along with more PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) must also be ramped up by the companies tat manufacture this equipment so that medical personnel don’t have to reuse things like gloves and other materials while treating patients moving from one to another.

This is not going away anytime soon and we must all be prepared for the worst and pray for thed best.

Until there is a plan coming from the federal government and working with the states and local government to aid in the distribution of any vaccine it may take months until enough people are vaccinated to stop COVID in its tracks.

In the meantime, it is up to everyone to do their part in personal safety and hygiene to slow down the spread of this virus.

To have enough doses of the new COVID vaccine for everyone may take into the summer of 2021 if enough people are willing to take the injection without knowing any long term effects from the vaccine because it hasn’t been long enough from the trials to know or if there will have to be yearly injections like those for the fall flu season.

Prepare yourself for long term remote learning until we get a handle on this pandemic and numbers of infections and deaths start to go down, not up has they have been over the past couple of months that are higher than the beginning of the pandemic.

Be safe and listen to the doctors and scientists not politicians and stuff on social media platforms.

Together we can stop this and get back to whatever the post-pandemic world will look like.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

COVID vs School

With COVID infections and deaths climbing dealing to the point where even Republican Governors are requiring shut downs and mask mandates schools are being impacted with teachers requesting online teaching until January, this is a hard time for students and parents.

Colleges and universities have ramped up temperature testing before entering campus and some have told students that if they go home not to come back but to switch to online courses.

Everyone has heard the news about two vaccines for this virus but the problem with vaccines is manufacturing enough for everyone times two. That is billions of doses when there are only a few million and it will take months to make enough form everyone.

Than you have to convince everyone to take he injection when there are so many people that are against vaccinations o don’t trust the government.

The long term immunity from this virus is unknown. The virus may require yearly injections just like the regular flu does in the fall each year making this virus endemic that means taking precautions for he rest of our lives in the fall or possibly other times of the year because the scientists just don’t know at this point.

Hospitals are filling up to the point m where there are few ICU beds for some patients because there are so many people that don’t believe that COVID is real even while in the hospital dying.

Too many people are getting information from social media and from politicians instead of listening to doctors and scientists.

In the November 17, 2020, there is an average of almost 1,000 deaths a day and a total of close to a quarter of a million total deaths.

COVID is not something to take lightly. We must all do our part in slowly down this virus and controlling it.

Listen to the doctors. Wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid crows, and wash your hands often.

If each of us would follow the CDC guidelines we might be able to overcome this virus and get back to some semblance of normal in 2021.

For enough vaccine to be manufactured for everyone in the U.S. could take until summer of 2021.

This is not a sprint but a marathon that will take all of us running the race together and having compassion for our fellow citizens. to protect us all from this plague.

If we do our part there may be more holidays in our future that may not be possible in 2020.

We want the best for our family and friends. This is why we must do our part and follow the guidelines from disease specialists not the information online.

Good luck to us all for the future.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

Halloween During COVID

This Halloween will be the first in modern history to be celebrated during a pandemic.

How does one stay safe during Tock or Treating?

First, practice social distancing. You don’t know about others.

Second, wear a cloth mask under your costume. This will protect you and others.

Third, watch out for any homemade treats. You don’t know someone’s process of making them.

Fourth, when you return home examine your treats carefully. Anything not in the original wrapper or a split wrapper discard it immediately. You don’t know why the wrapper is torn or not the way it should be. Anything could have happened and it is better to be safe.

The main point of Halloween is to have fun and enjoy yourself.

It is sad, that during this during Halloween 2020 we must be super vigilant to protect ourselves and our family because not everyone is doing the same across the country.

Hopefully, we don’t have any new COVID outbreaks this year’s Halloween.

As you go Trick or Treating be careful and enjoy your time out.

Please follow safety guidelines from doctors and scientists, not what is online or not scientific sources.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, and Reviewer

Shifting to Online or Virtual Classes

Every day there are new cases of the Coronavirus in schools around the country as there are more cases and deaths reported from the general public since many are not following the recommendations of the scientist and epidemiologists studying and trying to find a vaccine that works and is safe for the people around the world and America.

Listening to the people in charge who are studying this virus, the virus could become endemic (recurring like the normal flu that kills people every year) until then we could be in mask mode until the third or fourth quarter of 2021.

To keep the spread of the virus we must maintain the recommendations of the doctors that say we should wear masks, social distance, and wash our hands frequently.

The cases that test positive in schools are from outside the schools in places where people gather like churches, parties, bars, and restaurants so we must all be careful who we are around and make sure we protect ourselves and others as much as possible to eliminate the exposure to this virus to ourselves and our families.

Until we have a national plan, for the long-haul each of us is responsible for the spread of this virus. There may be a vaccine this found to work and is safe in 2021 but there are some hurdles that must be overcome first. The main one is the safety of the vaccine in humans.

There must be strict guidelines for testing the safety of any vaccine. We can only do this with enoughtest subjects and waiting for the results to determine any possible side effects just like all medications that people need to be prescribed for conditions of the heart, asthma, diabetes …etc.

Until then, it is up to each of us to do our part to try and contain this virus and help stop it from spreading further than it already has.

Many schools in Mercer County, West Virginia have moved to virtual classes because of the new reported positive virus test while there is are increases in positive tests for the virus in 31 states in the United States.

Take care and stay safe while following the safety protocols.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer