On Thursday, November 19th, I attended a webinar with speaker Juliette Kayyem. She spoke on the current state of affairs regarding Coronavirus, the oncoming second lockdown, as well as vaccine statuses and distribution plans. Kayyem began explaining the current outlook in regards to the pandemic and how the general population has been reacting to it. She continued with the observation that post-election, many civilians aren’t as aware of COVID-19 as they need to be. Simultaneously, many legislators and elected state officials are increasing regulations and ditching the faux partisanship of mask-wearing in order to increase public safety. Kayyem detailed how the country is expected to head into another lockdown, with this one predicted to be much longer and stricter, as the winter months combined with the levels of contagion create a deadly outcome.
On a brighter note, vaccines are well underway and nearly complete, with at least two vaccines undergoing final tests and inspections by the FDA to prepare for mass deployment. Vaccine distribution seems to be the largest challenge the USA is facing, as this is the first vaccine in world history that demands each citizen to receive the injection. Kayyem explained how first responders and healthcare workers are the first demographic likely to receive the vaccine, with estimates of initial inoculations beginning early 2021. Next, we would most likely see at risk communities and older age groups to receive them en masse around spring time, with the general population likely to receive vaccinations sometime next summer.
This topic is extremely prevalent to International Affairs, as the United States serves somewhat as a case study on how not to respond to a pandemic in nearly every aspect. We can be viewed as catastrophic mismanagement of time and resources, as well as a total failure from our leadership to lead us into safety and out of the dangers of a pandemic. Other nations can be seen returning to a normal life, with low cases and deaths, as they were able to effectively and efficiently respond to the crises.