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  2020-07-27

  Empty Rockefeller Center

  During the height of Covid, when New York City first went into lockdown, it was surreal to say the least. I think the last time the city was so empty and void of life was 9/11, so to see it again in 2020 really highlighted just how severe the situation was. Two of my sisters, who are a nurse and hospital manager, talked about being in the city for work, and practically being the only ones working in person, and it feeling like some kind of post apocalyptic movie. I remember around May of 2020, I helped my other sister move out of her dorms at #NYU, and it took about 15-20 mins to get to the bottom of Manhattan (Union Square) from The Bronx, due to the lack of fellow cars on the road. To see such a highly populated and lively city such as NYC turn into a ghost town almost overnight was something of a shock. It was one thing to see photos, and speak on how insane the situation was, but to actually be in the heart of Manhattan at this time was… well scary. So, seeing such a busy area such as Rockefeller center be completely empty is insane to say the least, and brings up a sad reminder of just how bad things were in the initial stages of the pandemic.
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  2020-07-21

  If we know Hydroxychloroquine doesn't work, why are scientists still experimenting with it?

  My husband was exposed to COVID-19 by a co-worker from a different branch. She took the COVID-19 test, but instead of quarantining like you’re supposed to, she continued running errands. One of those errands was going to the bank, where my husband works and making a withdrawal. That same day she got her test results and called to let him know. OK, I feel a lot of things about that, annoyed. I’m really annoyed and frustrated that she believed she had COVID, went to the lengths to get tested, but didn’t self-quarantine. My husband is more empathetic. He thinks she had urgent things to do and no one to help her. OK, that’s the first part of this story. The second part, is that suddenly on FB I saw an advertisement for a research trial on COVID. I filled it out for my husband, and a few days later he got an email offering him the chance to participate in a study. I read the fine print, it seemed sketch. First, the trial is for 4,000 people to take Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that we know doesn’t work. Second, the compensation is only $300 total. That seems like a really, really low sum to be a guinea pig. Third, the way that the researchers phrased his options bothered me. On the consent form it lists his choices: “Your other options: There are currently no approved treatments to prevent infection or COVIF-19 symptoms for people who have had contact with an infected person. You do not have to participate in this study. Your other choices may include: • Taking part in another study • Getting no PEP after contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.” This seems far from neutral, and actually to me- sounds like a combination of pressure/fear to get people to participate. This is my first time seeing an informed consent form, and I wonder if they’re all this loaded in terms of trying to manipulate someone into donating their health and body to an experimental process. The study was run by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University of Washington.