Blog Post 10:

The World Today and COVID-19 Vaccine

It's been a few months since the world has been hit by this pandemic. Since its inception, thousands have lost their lives, millions have become infected, the economy has fallen and the world has been under lockdown ever since. However, in May many things have been slowly moving forward and people are trying to adapt to a new way of living until a vaccine is created. However, is it safe enough to completely remove the lockdown? How much are people playing with their own health? 

Prof John Wright speaks to BBC News about the vaccine still having a long way to go. 

I suspect that a vaccine for Covid-19 is still a year away, so these trials searching for treatments are critical.

However, it is interesting to notice how The Guardian identifies the long-awaited vaccine as something that might never occur. Chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam says to the Guardian 

“We can’t be sure we will get a vaccine.”

His statement might be shattering people's hopes but what he says might be the truth because vaccines are not a magic potion. There will always be a 50% chance of success or failure. 

What is interesting to notice are the different ideologies that are being presented to the news media outlets regarding the matter. Where one news media shows hope for experimentation for future vaccines, the other news media is showing us the other side of reality - the one where no vaccine will ever be created. What will the world be like without it? 

There are differences in opinion regarding the matter and people are eager to return to their once known normalcy. However, will that ever occur? Right now, we are floating in the middle of the ocean and the information that news media are presenting is opposing one another with diverse reality perspectives.

What we need to be certain of is that it is still early and time will only tell, however, we cannot go back to living the way we were before. We now have to live in a new normal. The normal that this pandemic brought with it. 

Blog Post 9:

 COVID-19 and The Fitness Industry

The emphasis on health and fitness is the epicenter of 2020. A beginning of a new decade accompanied by economic downfalls, social isolation, and numerous deaths. Health has become the new norm. Keeping the healthiest immune system and having a fit body has become important for humanity’s survival more than ever before. 

In March, gyms all over the world had to close down due to the pandemic. Globally, people had to be creative and find ways to exercise indoors during the lockdown and practice social distancing when exercising outdoors which was a privilege for some but not for many. 

However, circumstances are changing and as of this month, gyms all over the world are slowly opening with strict guidelines for their customers. Online news media are informing the public about the diverse measurements that gyms are creating, however, the news is also emphasizing the fact that we are dealing with new and uncharted territory due to the pandemic.

Dr. Amesh Adalja speaks to Fitness about the problems arising regarding gyms opening. 

Unfortunately, like many questions with the coronavirus, there’s no clear-cut, one-size-fits-all answer.

Worldwide, health and fitness are being emphasized on a greater level than ever seen before. However, it has not been easy for everyone due to the lockdown and gyms closing all over the world? For many, long walks and runs are not enough, living rooms being turned into gym workouts and social media fitness videos do not work for everybody.

The question that news media outlets are portraying is how safe it is for people to go to the gym since this pandemic is still hitting like a tsunami and no vaccine is available. Should people really risk their own health? Are gyms only opening for economic purposes? These are questions that people need to ask themselves constantly before diving in a gym. Whereas news media articles are emphasizing upon the strict guidelines that gyms are creating, medical experts are stating that people should go to the gym as their last resort. 

Dr. Sandra Kesh speaks to CNET regarding people going to the gym during this pandemic.

"And if they have no alternative and feel that it's important to their overall well-being, then they can go to a gym."

Health experts are emphasizing that it is complicated to answer whether or not it is safe enough to go. According to them the safest place to exercise is outdoors since it is easier to practice social distancing, unlike the gym. 

Masks are being enforced in all gyms for everyone’s safety but looking at it from a logical perspective how can one be doing rigorous physical exercise with a mask when air is being limited. It is non-realistic because working out requires maximum breathing and having a tight mask around someone’s face is claustrophobic enough, let alone while exercising.

The news media are sharing enough guidelines that the public needs to abide by when going to the gyms but overall is it worth meddling with your health when were are still in the middle of the ocean floating without any survival kit?

Tim Hatten, CEO of Mountain Fitness speaks to FOX10 regarding one's well-being when approaching the gym. 

For those who are nervous, try and see how you feel. Maybe don’t rush back in walk back in, as a fitness term, you could say," said Hatten.

Blog Post 8: News Review

COVID-19: Will there ever be a vaccine? 

The world we are living in today can be said to be a never-ending whirlwind of daily nightmares and dreams, fears and hopes. Each of us is dealing with the whole situation in our own unique way depending on our characters as individuals, financial situations and everything else in between. However, there is one thing that merges us into one being and that is hope for a vaccine that would eradicate all our troubles concerning COVID-19. 

As countries lie frozen in lockdown and billions of people lose their livelihoods, public figures are teasing a breakthrough that would mark the end of the crippling coronavirus pandemic: a vaccine.

I found this article to be a rather interesting read because it delves straight into the problems of what has become threatening to our health. Whether you are old or young and no matter how high or low is the percentage of death due to COVID-19, nobody wants to be infected by it. If one can look beneath the lines, as a reader I acknowledge that the article is a mixture of hope on one side and of hopelessness on the other. I’ve read multiple articles regarding the coronavirus and the long-awaited vaccine. Practically all of them say the same thing - scientists are working hard on a vaccine that hopefully will be out in twelve to eighteen months. 

This article, on the other hand, does not only give relevant and tangible information but shows us both sides of the spectrum. It shows the reader two extremities of our future reality. As a reader what I felt was somewhat out of place was comparing stories about vaccines that were not able to be created like the HIV vaccine and then continuing on to present the ongoing facts regarding COVID-19. To my eyes, this part of the article is unreliable because no disease is equal and no vaccine is equal. Just by giving other examples of vaccines that could not have been created in the past does not mean that this one is not and comparing one to the other does not result in anything. 

Reality is that there are two sides to the coin that the article presents in detail and what we can expect in the future and whether this may be hard to read, people need to be aware of reality whatever it may be. 

"I do think there'll be vaccine -- there's plenty of money, there's plenty of interest and the target is clear," Offit says.

But if previous outbreaks have proven anything, it's that hunts for vaccines are unpredictable. "I don't think any vaccine has been developed quickly," Offit cautions.

Blog Post 7: News Review

COVID-19: Fighting The Pandemic 

In the 19th century vaccination was from the church bell-ringer, and if you fell sick you may have been sent to an epidemic hospital outside town. People have combated recurrent epidemics through the ages in different ways. And COVID-19 demonstrates how vulnerable we still are.

In this article provided by Technology, historian Hans Nilsson describes the ever-changing ways dealt by society when health threats suffice. 

Humanity has been dealing with health issues since the beginning of time. Decade after decade, century after century, new illnesses and pandemics suffice. The more progress humanity has made throughout the passage of time, the more we have come to understand the emergence of illnesses, and most of the time we find a cure, a vaccine to combat the virus and numerous lives are saved after a tsunami of death. But that is how the world works.

Living in such a comfortable modernized world with science and technology being the epi-center, we were never prepared for what was coming. The new pandemic shows us that even nowadays we are still vulnerable human beings. The only difference is that we have the means to combat it but research takes a lot of time. Still, thousands have died in these five months. 

In our era, it’s not morally acceptable to let people just die. Each death affects us”, says Hans Nilsson.

What I find absolutely wrong with this article is the message that revolves around death. We're all aware that death is a part of life but that does not mean we should accept it like we're throwing away a piece of meat. After all, part of what makes us human are our emotions. Nilsson emphasizes people's refusal to accept death, unlike past times where it was a normal thing. However, we have to keep in mind that today's world is more advanced than ever before. However, his message hit me hard. Who would ever want a loved one to die? Even though it is part of life, it does not mean that humanity needs to succumb to it. In my opinion, I think Nilsson is expressing his own point of view from a scientific perspective and not from a humanistic point of view. Looking at this article from a reader's perspective, it truly angers me to simply read something where it is telling me that it's not morally acceptable to let people just die. I cannot fathom the idea and during these harsh times, people want hope and not being fed more negativity. I cannot say that this statement is a wake-up call or a reality check because we are living in this situation in the present times and I feel for everyone who lost someone. 

Nilsson argues about preparedness revolving around this pandemic and he looks at it through a historic perspective by comparing it to previous pandemics and past societies. However, comparing the present situation to the past is a mistake because every situation is unique. Making a list of past pandemics and trying to learn something from them is one thing but we cannot ever say if some were better prepared then others. Looking at it from a realistic point of view, we cannot ever be ready for any pandemic in any generation. We can be guarded, try to have the best technologies but we cannot ever know what we need to prepare for. That is why pandemics always hit us like a tsunami. We cannot outrun any illness or disease because resources will always be limited. That is how the world works but we can combat it by using vaccines which in turn need a long time to be tested and produced.

“Vaccines take a long time to produce, and our economy is based on the stores being kept small. And it’s difficult to be prepared, when you don’t know in advance what you should prepare for.”

This article was not what I really expected as a reader. I was expecting more information from a historic point of view of other past epidemics that hit. I was interested in learning something. Also, putting in some words of encouragement would have made the article more realistic to many readers during the harsh times we are experiencing. 

Blog Post 6 - News Review

Coronavirus and Nightmares: How to Stop Them? 

In reality, we are all in the same boat during this pandemic when looking at it from a humanistic point of view. But how many of us are being attacked in our dreams by COVID-19 and transforming them into nightmares? How many of us cannot escape COVID-19 even when we're sleeping? According to the article I'm reviewing, a sleep doctor gives us tips to stop having COVID-19 nightmares and start dreaming again. 

Right now, we quite simply can't escape the impact of COVID-19—not even in our dreams. No, really, not even in our dreams. There's a good chance that you, like me, have your shoddy four or so hours of sleep riddled with intense nightmares: hospital zombie apocalypses, tiger chases (with Joe Exotic), frantic climbs up mountains of toilet paper rolls that you inevitably tumble down, down, down. Perhaps you, like me, wake up the middle of the night, shaking, asking yourself, "Why am I having coronavirus nightmares? And how can I make them stop?"

The article is a good read but the tips that are given are not essential to the pandemic that is occurring because we should and need to incorporate them in our daily lives. I think the article lacks originality in this sense that it should not have been aimed as Coronavirus nightmares but rather COVID-19 should have been incorporated as the crisis we are facing in present times. It is part of the psychological problems occurring in people right now and as a result, a percentage of people are having trouble sleeping.

"Stress or anxiety can be nightmare triggers, and certainly the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic could precipitate vivid nightmares," says Dr. Watson. Thus, in this difficult time, it is important to focus on our general health and sleep health in order to have nightmare-free nights."

This is a general example given by Dr. Watson saying that the pandemic could cause vivid dreams but in our everyday lives we encounter nightmares on a daily basis so looking at it from a reader's point of view, the pandemic is another nightmare amongst all the nightmares we might have witnessed in the past, we're witnessing in the present and shall of course witness in the future. What I am coming to is people experience nightmares every day of their lives due to tragedy, death, illness, heartbreak. Therefore, only saying that during this difficult time, we should focus on our health is just a straightforward answer given to ease the stress we're encountering. By putting it in a more generalistic view, it would have been better and not put too much focus on the pandemic itself because it is a wave that we're living through today. In the future, another wave will come, and then what. I'm sure by then we would have had multiple nightmares and I'm sure health always needs to be a priority, not only today.

The writer says that we should focus on taking care of ourselves during this time and be aware of what we can realistically control. But shouldn't we do this every day of our lives? 

Ending on a positive note, what we can learn from this article is to take the given tips and use them for our daily routines even after this pandemic ends. 

Blog Post 5: News Review

The Population's Health: 

COVID-19 and Air Pollution 

According to two health studies presented on the BBC article, air pollution has been linked to death risk. 

Dr Maria Neira, of the World Health Organization (WHO), told BBC News countries with high pollution levels, many in Latin America, Africa and Asia, should ramp up their preparations. Those with underlying pollution-related conditions have developed severe Covid-19 in countries with high levels.

However, medical professionals say that it is too early to prove this relationship. 

"We will be doing a map of most polluted cities based on our database to support national authorities in these regions so that they can prepare their epidemic response plan accordingly," Dr Neira said.

A US study suggests Covid-19 death rates rise by about 15% in areas with even a small increase in fine-particle pollution levels in the years before the pandemic. Another study, at the University of Siena, in Italy, and Arhus University, in Denmark, suggests a possible link between high levels of air pollution and Covid-19 deaths in northern Italy.

The article simply shows numerous studies, the data collected and the relationship to COVID-19, however, we need to keep in mind that pollution has always been hazardous for our own health. The one beneficial thing that we can thank this pandemic for is that the earth is finally taking a break from humanity in all aspects of life, pollution being one of the most important aspects because it does not only hurt the world's atmosphere and nature but it also badly hurts humanity. 

Air pollution already kills about seven million people every year, the WHO says.

What this article has taught me is not integrated within the statistical studies made which are important, of course, but it helped me reflect upon what needs to be done after this pandemic is gone. Are we going to our past habits or are we going to rise from the ashes and do our part in taking care of the earth? In turn, the earth will take care of us. If we are not going to try and erase our ancestor's mistakes for over abusing the earth's natural resources, our generation is going to give the final hit to earth. Globally, humanity needs a complete shift in mindset and actions in order for change to emerge. 

If we are not going to be the ones that start to change the world we live in, everything will continue to go downhill. It does not matter how much the world has been modernised because of technology and science. If we can sustain what keeps us alive - earth, then everything we do is simply a waste of time because future generations will not benefit from anything if what will remain for them is a world in need.

If you would like to read the original article, please find the URL link below:
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52351290

Blog Post 4: News Review

Children and Happiness: 

UK Children At Their Lowest Levels of Happiness In A Decade

Children's innocence and the happiness that they are able to create within their own world can be said to be envied by most adults who experience reality every single day. We can acknowledge the fact that real happiness can be found when we are kids (of course not every child can be happy due to the reality and experience they are born into) because we have no understanding of the outside world. When we are children, we create our little world full of happiness and wonder and we live in that little bubble with ourselves and with the friends that we make until we grow up and really hits that everything left behind is nothing more than happy memories and dreams we made up as children. We try to hold onto them as much as possible, not because we were children but we try to remember what happiness felt like as a child, contrarily to the happiness we feel as adults. 

Children's happiness in the UK is at its lowest point in a decade - with crime and the environment among their key concerns, according to a new report.

The Independent published an article the clearly shows the decrease in happiness in children in the UK is at its lowest in a decade. According to figures from the Children's Society charity 

nearly a quarter of a million children in the UK – the equivalent of 219,000 – report being unhappy with their lives as a whole.

According to the Children's Society annual report, INCREASEd BULLYING, FEELING UNSAFE AT SCHOOL, and EXCESSIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA are some of the potential driving factors behind the drop.

The significant decline is a “national scandal”

One in eight children are unhappy with school - which is at its lowest level since 2009 - and Year 10 students suggest bullying and not feeling safe at school are some of the reasons for low wellbeing. 

Poverty, financial strain, and unhappiness with school life are found linked according to the study. Moreover, physical appearance has been growing and the gap between girls and boys is narrowing. Usually, boys are happier with their appearance than girls but times have changed and both circles are growing. The report suggests that part of the rise is due to social media 

Mark Russell, chief executive at the Children’s Society, said: “Modern childhood is a happy and carefree time for most, yet for too many it is not. It is a national scandal that children’s unhappiness is increasing so quickly. Today’s young people are becoming progressively unhappy with their friendships – one of the fundamental building blocks of wellbeing – as well as appearance and school. “Children are also burdened with fears ranging from worrying about the future, not having enough money to not feeling safe at school and bullying. Many young people tell us they feel sidelined and ignored by those in power.”

The world we live in today is drastically changing day by day and this is not only affecting adults but also children. There needs to be a change otherwise, we are going to drown in an ocean filled with unhappy children and that is going to be our future generation.

The article mentioned the problems but did not give any detailed information about what can be done apart from the following. 

Children will be taught how to build mental resilience – as well as how to recognise when their peers are struggling with mental health issues – as part of statutory lessons, the government announced.

If you would like to read the original article, please find the URL link below:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/child-happiness-crime-environment-school-bullying-social-media-a9080721.html