Item
Isabel Vara and Grace Griffin Oral History, 2021/12/09
Media
Title (Dublin Core)
Isabel Vara and Grace Griffin Oral History, 2021/12/09
Description (Dublin Core)
The audios I have uploaded share different perspectives on Covid-19 after learning about past pandemics
Recording Date (Dublin Core)
Creator (Dublin Core)
Contributor (Dublin Core)
Type (Dublin Core)
Audio Interview
Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)
Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)
Contributor's Tags (a true folksonomy) (Friend of a Friend)
Collection (Dublin Core)
Date Submitted (Dublin Core)
12/09/2021
Date Modified (Dublin Core)
06/26/2023
06/27/2023
06/28/2023
Date Created (Dublin Core)
12/09/2021
Interviewer (Bibliographic Ontology)
Isabel Vara
Grace Griffin
Interviewee (Bibliographic Ontology)
Isabel Vara
Grace Griffin
Format (Dublin Core)
audio
Language (Dublin Core)
English
Duration (Omeka Classic)
00:04:20
00:03:59
abstract (Bibliographic Ontology)
In this interview, Isabel Vara shares her perspective on COVID-19 after taking a class on past
pandemics.
pandemics.
In this interview, Grace Griffin shares her perspective on COVID-19 after taking a class about past
pandemics.
pandemics.
Transcription (Omeka Classic)
Grace Griffin 00:00
Hi, my name is Grace Griffin. Um, I'll be interviewing Isabel. Do you give consent to be interviewed for the COVID-19 Archive Project?
Isabel Vara 00:08
Yes, I do.
Grace Griffin 00:09
Could you state the date and time please.
Isabel Vara 00:11
Today is December 9th, and it is 1:36pm.
Grace Griffin 00:15
Okay. Um, for my first question, have you heard of all the pandemics we discussed in class previously and how much or how little did you know,
Isabel Vara 00:25
Um, I definitely heard of all the pandemics we discussed prior to taking the class, but I did not know any details about them. I'd say I knew probably the most about the flu and the least about the Black Death, and I knew nothing about how humans responded to each pandemic.
Grace Griffin 00:42
What is something that shocked you to learn about?
Isabel Vara 00:45
I think it was most shocking to learn about how much pandemics affected societies in the world. I've never really thought about the individual people and communities that were affected during these pandemics. I just always recognized that they sort of happened, and with that, I also found it so interesting that each of the responses and mistakes continued to grow more and more similar with each and every pandemic.
Grace Griffin 01:09
What is something you want to learn more about?
Isabel Vara 01:12
Um, I'd say probably the science behind each of the pandemics. I'm kind of a science person more so than a history person, so specifically, the ways the pandemic spread through the human body and how they eventually grew to kill people.
Grace Griffin 01:29
And what would be your biggest takeaway from the class?
Isabel Vara 01:32
Um, my biggest takeaway is probably that the world is in dire need of public health reform. I think every time we learned about a different pandemic, there was a way for humans to stop the spread or prevent it from happening at all, but I also think with that realization comes the obvious recognition that the world has definitely grown due to pandemics as they highlighted the areas in need of reform during their time periods.
Grace Griffin 01:58
Having learned about these previous pandemics, in what ways has your perception of the COVID-19 pandemic changed? Have your feelings or emotions changed as well?
Isabel Vara 02:09
Um, I've grown to appreciate the reforms that COVID-19 has put in place. Definitely before taking this class I knew wearing a mask was important, but now I genuinely want to wear one because I noticed protecting us all as humans, not just protecting me. But I've also developed a hatred towards politics in a way, because without politics throughout COVID-19, especially, I think things would have been dealt with in a much more different and definitely cleaner way too.
Grace Griffin 02:42
Do you see more similarities or differences between previous pandemics and COVID-19?
Isabel Vara 02:48
I definitely found myself noticing a few similarities here and there when learning about each pandemic, with that sort of realization, like Oh, that kind of sounds familiar when learning about specific things. But overall, I think it is difficult to compare and contrast past pandemics with our current one because one, the diseases or viruses themselves differ drastically in current, in their variants, and two, they all exist in, uh they all existed during different time periods with different technological and scientific advancements. However, I definitely think it is interesting to compare them and can be helpful to learn from past mistakes.
Grace Griffin 03:28
Do you think the way in which COVID-19 pandemic has been handled does or does not demonstrate that humans have learned and grown in response to previous disease outbreaks?
Isabel Vara 03:37
I think the beginning of the way COVID-19 was handled was a little shaky and could have been confronted earlier. But the fact that quarantines were put into place so early and vaccines were created so fast shows how we have had experience with these situations before.
Grace Griffin 03:53
Do you think future pandemics will be handled differently?
Isabel Vara 03:57
Um, not really. I mean, we've seen time and time again that the same regulations are put into place and the same techniques are used. If anything, I think the handling of pandemics will only continue to get better as we learn from past pandemics and also easier as technicolo-, technological and scientific advancements continue to increase.
Grace Griffin 04:18
Thank you.
Hi, my name is Grace Griffin. Um, I'll be interviewing Isabel. Do you give consent to be interviewed for the COVID-19 Archive Project?
Isabel Vara 00:08
Yes, I do.
Grace Griffin 00:09
Could you state the date and time please.
Isabel Vara 00:11
Today is December 9th, and it is 1:36pm.
Grace Griffin 00:15
Okay. Um, for my first question, have you heard of all the pandemics we discussed in class previously and how much or how little did you know,
Isabel Vara 00:25
Um, I definitely heard of all the pandemics we discussed prior to taking the class, but I did not know any details about them. I'd say I knew probably the most about the flu and the least about the Black Death, and I knew nothing about how humans responded to each pandemic.
Grace Griffin 00:42
What is something that shocked you to learn about?
Isabel Vara 00:45
I think it was most shocking to learn about how much pandemics affected societies in the world. I've never really thought about the individual people and communities that were affected during these pandemics. I just always recognized that they sort of happened, and with that, I also found it so interesting that each of the responses and mistakes continued to grow more and more similar with each and every pandemic.
Grace Griffin 01:09
What is something you want to learn more about?
Isabel Vara 01:12
Um, I'd say probably the science behind each of the pandemics. I'm kind of a science person more so than a history person, so specifically, the ways the pandemic spread through the human body and how they eventually grew to kill people.
Grace Griffin 01:29
And what would be your biggest takeaway from the class?
Isabel Vara 01:32
Um, my biggest takeaway is probably that the world is in dire need of public health reform. I think every time we learned about a different pandemic, there was a way for humans to stop the spread or prevent it from happening at all, but I also think with that realization comes the obvious recognition that the world has definitely grown due to pandemics as they highlighted the areas in need of reform during their time periods.
Grace Griffin 01:58
Having learned about these previous pandemics, in what ways has your perception of the COVID-19 pandemic changed? Have your feelings or emotions changed as well?
Isabel Vara 02:09
Um, I've grown to appreciate the reforms that COVID-19 has put in place. Definitely before taking this class I knew wearing a mask was important, but now I genuinely want to wear one because I noticed protecting us all as humans, not just protecting me. But I've also developed a hatred towards politics in a way, because without politics throughout COVID-19, especially, I think things would have been dealt with in a much more different and definitely cleaner way too.
Grace Griffin 02:42
Do you see more similarities or differences between previous pandemics and COVID-19?
Isabel Vara 02:48
I definitely found myself noticing a few similarities here and there when learning about each pandemic, with that sort of realization, like Oh, that kind of sounds familiar when learning about specific things. But overall, I think it is difficult to compare and contrast past pandemics with our current one because one, the diseases or viruses themselves differ drastically in current, in their variants, and two, they all exist in, uh they all existed during different time periods with different technological and scientific advancements. However, I definitely think it is interesting to compare them and can be helpful to learn from past mistakes.
Grace Griffin 03:28
Do you think the way in which COVID-19 pandemic has been handled does or does not demonstrate that humans have learned and grown in response to previous disease outbreaks?
Isabel Vara 03:37
I think the beginning of the way COVID-19 was handled was a little shaky and could have been confronted earlier. But the fact that quarantines were put into place so early and vaccines were created so fast shows how we have had experience with these situations before.
Grace Griffin 03:53
Do you think future pandemics will be handled differently?
Isabel Vara 03:57
Um, not really. I mean, we've seen time and time again that the same regulations are put into place and the same techniques are used. If anything, I think the handling of pandemics will only continue to get better as we learn from past pandemics and also easier as technicolo-, technological and scientific advancements continue to increase.
Grace Griffin 04:18
Thank you.
Isabel Vara 00:00
My name is Isabel Vara, and I will be interviewing Grace Griffin. Do you give consent to be interviewed for the COVID-19 Archive Project?
Grace Griffin 00:07
Yes.
Isabel Vara 00:08
Will you please state the time and date?
Grace Griffin 00:10
Uh, today's Thursday, December 9th, and it is 1:41pm.
Isabel Vara 00:14
Okay, so for my first question, how was learning about past pandemics helped you or not helped you put COVID-19 into context?
Grace Griffin 00:23
I think learning about all these different pandemics that we've experienced in the past has really been beneficial for helping just to grasp what's happening right now. Um, this started my junior year of high school, which, you know, I was basically still a kid at the time, so I didn't quite understand what was happening. Um, it is very scary to learn about, so I think kind of understanding that things like these have happened in the past, and, you know, lots of tragedy and great loss has occurred, we always, you know, we make it through it. So I think understanding that, it's, it's scary, but it's happened before is helped a lot.
Isabel Vara 01:03
What are some similarities between COVID-19 and past pandemics that stood out to you, differences?
Grace Griffin 01:09
Um, one of the interesting things I noticed from one of our readings about the 1918 influenza was that there was actually an anti-masking group then, too and as there is now, so we haven't really learned much in a century, I guess, when it comes to disease control, even though they've been, you know, proven to be effective, some people still aren't quite happy about wearing one. Um, and then in terms of differences, I think just the, the disease itself, and its transmission mode, and mortality rate is different for each pandemic.
Isabel Vara 01:44
Do you think the world or humans specifically have learned from past experience with different pandemics?
Grace Griffin 01:50
Um, I would say somewhat. There's definitely some things that have made leaps and bounds like um, how quickly we were able to make the COVID-19 vaccine was pretty amazing. Um, but also, like the masking thing, I don't think we really learned as much as we could or the most effective length and way to quarantine could probably be worked on. So I think there's still some room for progress, but we definitely learned a lot.
Isabel Vara 02:17
Do you think it is useful to compare our current pandemic to past pandemics and their histories?
Grace Griffin 02:23
Um, I do think so in that there's ways that we can look to the past and see what worked and what didn't when it came to stopping the spread and handling the diseases. Obviously, each disease is unique, and it has its own symptoms, transmission, all that, so it's not a perfect model. But I think we can definitely see more specifically, like what didn't work and what we can change in the future.
Isabel Vara 02:50
By gaining new knowledge about other pandemics, has your attitude toward any of COVID-19's regulations changed?
Grace Griffin 02:57
Um, I would say not a ton, because I was already pretty, pretty good about, you know, respecting the regulations. I believe in the science of it, and I, I think they're there for a reason. Um, I think for a lot of people, though, it, if they had taken this course, or other students who have taken this course, I think learning about these different pandemics has really provided a reason for the regulations and a better understanding of why they're so important to follow.
Isabel Vara 03:23
How is your perception of our current pandemic altered from before this class until now?
Grace Griffin 03:29
Um, I think kind of like the first question, it's, it's just kind of been put into context a little bit more. I think emotionally, I have a better grasp of it, and I better realize what's happening, why it's happening, how we're responding, if that's good or bad. So I think taking this course is really beneficial and uh better, just having a good perception of it.
Isabel Vara 03:56
Thank you.
My name is Isabel Vara, and I will be interviewing Grace Griffin. Do you give consent to be interviewed for the COVID-19 Archive Project?
Grace Griffin 00:07
Yes.
Isabel Vara 00:08
Will you please state the time and date?
Grace Griffin 00:10
Uh, today's Thursday, December 9th, and it is 1:41pm.
Isabel Vara 00:14
Okay, so for my first question, how was learning about past pandemics helped you or not helped you put COVID-19 into context?
Grace Griffin 00:23
I think learning about all these different pandemics that we've experienced in the past has really been beneficial for helping just to grasp what's happening right now. Um, this started my junior year of high school, which, you know, I was basically still a kid at the time, so I didn't quite understand what was happening. Um, it is very scary to learn about, so I think kind of understanding that things like these have happened in the past, and, you know, lots of tragedy and great loss has occurred, we always, you know, we make it through it. So I think understanding that, it's, it's scary, but it's happened before is helped a lot.
Isabel Vara 01:03
What are some similarities between COVID-19 and past pandemics that stood out to you, differences?
Grace Griffin 01:09
Um, one of the interesting things I noticed from one of our readings about the 1918 influenza was that there was actually an anti-masking group then, too and as there is now, so we haven't really learned much in a century, I guess, when it comes to disease control, even though they've been, you know, proven to be effective, some people still aren't quite happy about wearing one. Um, and then in terms of differences, I think just the, the disease itself, and its transmission mode, and mortality rate is different for each pandemic.
Isabel Vara 01:44
Do you think the world or humans specifically have learned from past experience with different pandemics?
Grace Griffin 01:50
Um, I would say somewhat. There's definitely some things that have made leaps and bounds like um, how quickly we were able to make the COVID-19 vaccine was pretty amazing. Um, but also, like the masking thing, I don't think we really learned as much as we could or the most effective length and way to quarantine could probably be worked on. So I think there's still some room for progress, but we definitely learned a lot.
Isabel Vara 02:17
Do you think it is useful to compare our current pandemic to past pandemics and their histories?
Grace Griffin 02:23
Um, I do think so in that there's ways that we can look to the past and see what worked and what didn't when it came to stopping the spread and handling the diseases. Obviously, each disease is unique, and it has its own symptoms, transmission, all that, so it's not a perfect model. But I think we can definitely see more specifically, like what didn't work and what we can change in the future.
Isabel Vara 02:50
By gaining new knowledge about other pandemics, has your attitude toward any of COVID-19's regulations changed?
Grace Griffin 02:57
Um, I would say not a ton, because I was already pretty, pretty good about, you know, respecting the regulations. I believe in the science of it, and I, I think they're there for a reason. Um, I think for a lot of people, though, it, if they had taken this course, or other students who have taken this course, I think learning about these different pandemics has really provided a reason for the regulations and a better understanding of why they're so important to follow.
Isabel Vara 03:23
How is your perception of our current pandemic altered from before this class until now?
Grace Griffin 03:29
Um, I think kind of like the first question, it's, it's just kind of been put into context a little bit more. I think emotionally, I have a better grasp of it, and I better realize what's happening, why it's happening, how we're responding, if that's good or bad. So I think taking this course is really beneficial and uh better, just having a good perception of it.
Isabel Vara 03:56
Thank you.
Item sets
This item was submitted on December 9, 2021 by Isabel Vara using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive
Click here to view the collected data.