Photo: Bizkaia Talent
Yes, scientists are human beings. And yes, scientists are capable of contracting and transmitting the deadly coronavirus. Then why the title suggesting that scientists do not need to adhere to social distancing during this time?
A recent article in The New York Times highlights the need for scientists from across the world to band together to fight the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Research around the world has been placed on hold. The critical scientific research question which tops the list on the world scale is how to combat the coronavirus. Research from different perspectives is being conducted. Additionally, funding from various countries is cutting across borders like a hot knife through butter:
But the coronavirus has ignited the scientific community in ways that no other outbreak or medical mystery has before. That reflects the scope of the pandemic and the fact that, for many researchers, the hot zone is no longer an impoverished village in the developing world. It is their hometowns.\\
“This is playing at home,” said Professor Hill, of Oxford. He has worked on vaccines for Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis, diseases that have been most prevalent in Africa. “But for Covid, it is happening right here.”
Previously, I wrote an article (blog post) on another site regarding the Trump administration's effort to defund the Pentagon's Disease Hunters. That funding was explicitly designed for hunting down diseases in rare parts of the world. Over the last four years, the disease hunters have collected over 140,000 biological samples. The team has found over 1,000 new viruses -- including a new strain of ebola. Wow!
The cost of the program for four years was a mere $200 million annually. Wow! The program included tracking the spread of the virus and the pathology of the infection. Having the pathology of the virus would help researchers find a vaccination much sooner. Now, I am not directly blaming the spread of the coronavirus on the lack of funding for the Pentagon's Disease Hunters. I am suggesting that the program was vital and might have shed light on the spread of the virus, which has now ravaged parts of the world.
Scientists from around the world are grouping together in an unprecedented effort to fight the disease. As mentioned in the excerpt above, the aim is to combat a condition that is taking a stronghold on all parts of the world. Not just rare - hidden places. Their combined effort is noble. As is the funding of the work by both governments and the private sector.
This should be the case in a world pandemic. The disease knows no boundaries of state or country. The time has come for scientists not to isolate and work on their own research, but to communicate throughout the world. This is counter to what social distancing and isolation to prevent the spread of the disease.
The time has come for the President of the United States to declare a national emergency and fund research throughout the nation. Various agencies are working overtime to come up with vaccinations, ventilators, and protective equipment to combat the effort of the disease to spread further.
Citizens of the world can help immensely by staying home and keeping up social distancing. As the article mentioned, the current threat to humanity is not concerned with just a single country. The world is the target. A world-scale solution is needed. Never before have all of the countries grouped together to set aside pride, title, social standing, reputation -- to research solutions for the epidemic. From a science standpoint, (and others) we are living through an unprecedented time. Take note.
The end result of these difficult times could be wide-ranging: from the implementation of telecommuting to telemedicine becoming more frequently practiced. Who knows? Time will tell. Take note of what changes that you are seeing around you at a local scale. Compare to the past and the future as the government gives us further directive. The present is exciting and scary. But more so exciting to see the citizens of the world adhering to save various groups of citizens.
People extending services and help to one another who they previously did not know. The levels of giving and respect toward one another are both encouraging and astounding. The virus will not win. The question is how many unfortunate deaths have to occur to quench the virus. Please do your part.
Related Blog Posts:
Ralph Nader: For America’s Urgent Health and Safety, Trump Needs to Resign!
Coronavirus Causes More Aid For Farmers and Tariffs Still Stand
Philanthropist Bill Gates Warned The U.S. About a Coronavirus Threat 5 years Ago?
Plastic Bag Manufacturers Seek to Increase Use of Single-Use Plastic Bag During Coronavirus Pandemic
Soup Kitchens and Food Pantries Suffer Largely Due to Coronavirus Pandemic
No comments:
Post a Comment