Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: Global Cases 15,800,544 Deaths 641, 013 U.S. Confirmed Cases 4,137, 411 Deaths 145,860
On July 24th there were 1,141 COVID - 19 Deaths in the U.S. with 19,098 people in serious/critical condition
By Elaine Turley
Earlier this week I screened to be a volunteer for clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine.
My initial motivation was largely superficial and self-serving. I want to travel, be with friends and family, have my lip waxed, and not be hindered by this disease. I want to scuba dive in clear, warm water and not wear the heavy wetsuit required for the New York diving. I want to visit North Carolina for my summer beach vacation as I have done every year since 2005. I want to go to concerts, the theater and the ballet. It’s about what I want – not what I need.
On deeper reflection I see my motivation is actually about something bigger than the tiny piece of universe in which I reside and thrive. Our immediate family has incurred some financial damage from the pandemic, but not enough to create real hardship. Some of our extended network of family, friends and acquaintances have suffered significant economic loss and have real fear of losing the safety and security they worked to achieve over the years. Some have become mildly or seriously ill – and we’ve seen more people we know die in a shorter period of time than in all our past years. Students and teachers we know are struggling as the government tries to restart our education system so our teachers can continue to teach and earn a living and our students can continue the path to their adult lives without losing gains accumulated over the years. And health care workers I know face the fear of exposing themselves and their families to the dangers of this virus to do an increasingly vital job in which the danger has increased exponentially.
Isolated, I’ve had time to observe and reflect on myself, my world and my country. I’ve taken stock of my priorities as I have done in the past when experiencing major life events – like the death of a family member. I’m trying to overcome my tendency toward self-righteous judgment of others and to focus on my behavior and words – what I do to improve circumstances. I want life to go back to what it was before the coronavirus began dictating our lives – to regain a sense of self-determination rather than confronting the reality that the human race and its members are not in total control of our destiny. I see many in America and throughout the world denying the reality of the stupendous challenge before us and trying to convince themselves there is an easier, simpler way forward. If this denial and refusal to use all our resources to overcome this challenge prevail, we will suffer devastating global consequences.
So, I have decided to contribute the resources I have to achieve liberation not through denial of fact and ignoring the danger confronting us, but by working with the scientific community to tame nature and overcome this terrible threat. I don’t have the capacity to fully understand and work to overcome this challenge and I am putting my faith in those who have proven time and again their ability to do so. I’ve lately perused the history of medical advances that identified causes and treatments for yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, influenza, AIDS, Ebola - just a few of the exhaustive list. I’ve discovered that the reaction of the general population to an epidemic or pandemic is very similar regardless of time or place, and not always helpful. But more importantly I’ve discovered that science has remained steadfast in the face of all opposition and obstacles to eventually find the best possible way forward. It is our scientific community that will find the path to liberate our global society from the beast nature has unleashed upon us and that has so changed our world for the near future.
As a semi-retired, financially secure, woman in my sixties in great health, notwithstanding my diagnosis of COPD, I am ready and willing to be a test subject. The mission of this clinical study, according to the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) is to “to develop and conduct studies to ensure rapid and thorough evaluation of US government-sponsored COVID-19 vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for the prevention of COVID-19 disease.” In other words, to help scientists around the world supported by the US government find a way to return us to the world as we knew it.
Visit the CoVPN website below to participate in this study. https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/?fbclid=IwAR1YR-8tocRPssKxUU7fIW9dTMBuh9fAfK9-dxtCelbcUNP_j1DnutWMCAM.
Elaine Turley is an attorney who lives with her family in Smithtown