Items

• 
  2021-01-25

  A Year of COVID-19 in Canada

  This is a collection of photographs for the anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in Canada. The photographs depict the changes the country underwent in the last 12 months.
• 
  2020-02-28

  Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition Gives Vaccines to the Community

  The Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition ended Black History Month by giving vaccines to the Black community. Unfortunately, the Black communities have not been treated fairly by the US medical system in the past. The fact that this Coalition and others like it even need to exist is a big red flag that the Black communities in the United States still have to fight for equal rights. It also says that during this pandemic especially, Black people have been effected disproportionately.
• 
  2021-02-22

  "African/African Ancestry Health and Heritage Month Virtual Celebration: Black Family Day"

  Repost via Twitter @COVID19Black. Santa Clara County Public Health is hosting a virtual celebration for Black Family Day on Sunday, February 28, 2021 (11:00 AM- 2:00 PM) zoom link provided: http://BIT.LY/FAMILY_DAY2021
• 
  2021-02-26

  Black Coalition Against COVID 19's Love Letter to Black America

  This twitter post was featured on the Black Coalition Against COVID 19's twitter page. The video is a "Love Letter" to the United States black community and offers an affirming and reassuring statement of the African American medical and research community's commitment to the health, protection, and quote "survival" of their ethnicity. The video affirms that black medical staff will continue to fight for equality in healthcare while encouraging the black community to continue wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding holiday gatherings, and to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials. The video is an uplifting example of the Black community's efforts to show their people that they will be heard, valued, protected and will overcome the virus.
• 2021-02-25

  A Strange Way to Grieve

  My father-in-law had an accident last April and passed away about ten days later. He was brought to the hospital in the middle of the pandemic. Nobody was allowed to visit and be with him. My husband was able to speak to him over the speaker phone. He missed seeing him in person. The doctors only would allow visitors in the last moments near death. My husband did not make it in time. Later, he had to retrieve his cremated remains from the car in a sort of curbside pick-up fashion. It was very awkward for him. The usual quiet moments in this situation did not happen. We wanted to hold a memorial for my father-in-law, but because of covid19, we kept pushing it back saying to ourselves, “Well, maybe in October…Maybe in December…” Now we have decided to forgo a traditional memorial for an online one. Soon in March we will have a Zoom memorial with a slideshow of pictures, video, and music, and it will be on his birthday. We hope people will make some remarks. It is stressful getting this together, and I hope it goes well on Zoom. None of us are experts with any of this technology. Handling the affairs of a loved one’s life when they have died is hard enough in normal times. It is even harder during a pandemic. As I write this journal entry I think about my husband and the hardship he and his side of the family has gone through during this time. Knowing them, they would not want to share anything like this on a public archive. I am involved in this grief, but it is different for me. My role is mainly to support. For an archive like this, its collection is all decided on what the public wants to share. Emotionally difficult stories like this may not be shared firsthand as often. My story is also not in depth as it could be if I were the person centrally involved in this grief. I hope that future historians read stories like mine and realize how strange and difficult this time was for grieving people. Nothing is normal. Having a memorial where people get together and support each other through grief with kind words, pats on the back, and long hugs is totally out of the question. We just have to do the next best thing and move on with our lives as we cope with an uncertain future and wonder when life will go back to the way it was before the pandemic or if we have truly lost this aspect of our culture, customs, and traditions.
• 
  2021-02-25

  Floral Heart Project comes to Milwaukee on March 1 day of COVID-19 mourning

  Originally an art project, the Floral Heart Project has morphed into a memorial for those that have died of COVID-19. The project is going to Milwaukee on March 1st to install a heart-shaped floral wreath at the Museum Park Center.
• 
  2021-01-06

  Impact of COVID-19 on my mom and parents in my community.

  My story focuses on my mom's experience in raising kids during COVID-19 from a variety of ages. This comes with a variety of issues that she has to deal with. For example, dealing with a shortage of baby products, dealing with children with mental illness, and alongside other responsibilities of being a parent. I also provide data to show how many parents were impacted by these same issues. Moreover, I use this data to point out how the government was unprepared to deal with COVID which put more of a burden on parents. This is important to me because the government has a responsibility to prepare for pandemics like these. This Government's lack of preparedness costed many lives and negatively impacted many people's mental health.
• 
  2021-02-21

  Mini Oral History with Carolyn Rayroux

  At 0930 hours on 02-21-2021, I asked my stepmother for her perspective a positive outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 
  2021

  Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health

  COVID-19 TASK FORCE ON RACISM & EQUITY. The site looks at the science and humanity behind the Covid-19 Pandemic through a social justice lens.
• 
  2020-10-23

  Social justice as a foundation for democracy and health

  From article: Jennifer Prah Ruger uses the covid-19 pandemic to show the importance of countries implementing a justice framework for health and equality. This article is part of a collection launched at the World Health Summit, 25-27 October 2020, Berlin, Germany. Funding for the articles, including open access fees, was provided by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to the Council on Foreign Relations, support from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung to the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
• 
  2021-02-12

  After Vaccines, Joy, Relief and Game Night

  As the COVID-19 vaccine rolls-out, nursing and retirement homes across the United States are starting to open up again. In many places, this means dinner, game night, and a select few visitors.
• 
  2021-01-07

  How the Pandemic Has Affected Refugees

  In this episode, we at the Podcast of the Plague Year were granted the opportunity to record interviews with two organizations assisting refugees that have been relocated to Arizona- RICE and Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest. Refugees are those who have been forced to flee their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion. Almost 3 quarters of a million refugees have been resettled in the United States since 2008; they often come with very little resources to begin life anew once resettled. Life for refugees during resettlement comes with hope, but also with struggles to learn a new language, navigate new employment and educational systems and integrate into a new society. It is easy to imagine how a pandemic could intensify already existing struggles.
• 2020-09

  Socially Separated Sandwiches

  During the fall of 2020, a local homeless shelter was unable to offer beds to people in need during the COVID pandemic due to space and resource restrictions. It was hard to witness these organizations meant to help people also need extra love and help during the pandemic whether it be for medical, physical, or financial reasons. In response to the need, my church was able to step up to make sandwiches that the shelter could hand out to the people living on the streets that they were unable to serve at the time. We wore masks, took extra safety precautions, and socially distanced in an assembly style line outside in the church parking lot where we made packages of chips and sandwiches. While working together to make the sandwiches for the homeless shelter, I was reminded that we are still a community even when we cannot be together in the same ways we were before the pandemic. Finding pockets of community in the turbulent pandemic has been a blessing and chance for me to truly appreciate those around me and think of different ways that I can reach out to the community and be a part of it despite the circumstances. Distance did not have to mean silence and stillness. People were able to help in any way possible. If they were unable to help make the sandwiches, they prayed for the mission or donated money for the supplies. People shared what they could and came together when it mattered the most. This story highlights how even in times where we stayed apart to remain safe, we were still able to come together in another way to support each other. Communities didn't have to disappear during the pandemic, and this is just one example of their power to persevere in dark times.
• 
  2020-10

  How Tribal Communities Have Dealt with the Pandemic

  A cursory look into A Journal of the Plague Year reveals that the pandemic is nondiscriminatory, all of are affected. Yet, the reality is that Covid-19 is having more impact on certain populations in American communities. Arizona State University's Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict partnered with the Henry Luce Foundation to provide rapid relief funding to marginalized communities in the southwest. As part of the rapid relief program, the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict is collaborating with A Journal of the Plague Year and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication to raise awareness about the marginalized communities that were assisted via this grant. By joining this "Southwest Stories" project, we at the Podcast of the Plague Year were granted the opportunity to spotlight one Native American community in Arizona- the White Mountain Apache Tribe.
• 
  2020-05

  The Escape of Friendship

  Senior year of high school my hometown friends and I all chose to go to schools in different states so when we all got sent home last March it felt strange to be back from our freshman year of college so soon, but still having to do classes completely online. About a month before college students got sent home, I joined a sorority called Sigma Kappa. These girls quickly became some of my best friends while I was still at Duquesne, and once covid-19 hit we still advanced our connections even further. Everything was shut down and online, including classes for my first time ever, and the social aspect of my life was confined to my immediate family in my house like the rest of the world. The majority of my time was either spent binging Netflix shows or spending time with my friends and family virtually through Facetime and Zoom. This became my own little paradise inside of my house in which I was sharing my experiences with the people in my life in my own area and comparing them to my friends experiences in other states. When my family started to drive me up the wall and I needed an escape, I would hop on Facetime with one of my friends from home or one of my new sisters in my sorority. Once the weather started to get warmer my friends and I followed the lead of the rest of the country’s friend groups by going to a parking lot and sitting in the trunks of our cars socially distanced to get some sort of in person contact. This activity became almost a daily occurrence to get out of our houses for a short drive and fresh air. At this point in the pandemic, I was beginning to go star crazy, and I will never forget hearing the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announcing that quarantine will be extended even longer. I burst out in tears in my kitchen because all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends in a normal setting. As this was happening, I relied on my best friends virtually and spent multiple hours with them over Facetime talking it out and realizing that this will eventually come to an end and normal life will begin again soon. One of the biggest things I can take away from this part of quarantine is how much my friendships mean to me. I was not a huge fan of Facetime, but the pandemic has really made me realize how necessary it is for me to keep in contact with my friends to check up on them and have them check up on me, even in the future when normal times occur again. As terrible and heartbreaking covid-19 was and still is, my friends were truly an escape from reality for me through Facetimes, Zoom, and car circles. I believe that my friendships became even closer through this shared trauma of covid-19 and I couldn’t have gotten through lockdown without them.
• 
  2020-12-19

  Opportunity for street art

  The news story is both an interview with a street artist in New York and an exploration of how street art has taken off in New York as a result of the pandemic. The artist and the article report that many businesses have boarded up their windows and vacated, leaving a lot of unattended public space for artists to occupy, especially for illegal graffiti. Not everyone supports the increase in graffiti and street art, as other residents complain about the graffiti-related crime and vandalism.
• 
  2020-06-17

  Street Art - freedom, social justice

  This article explores how street art expresses community sentiment in a public arena, as expressions of emotion, desire, creativity, and human rights.
• 
  2021-02-12

  New Year, New Hope

  This Year of the Ox is coming in much differently than the Year of the Rat. Last year, with the smallest shadow cast over the new year with news of a SARS type virus spreading through China, we were still able to celebrate normally, and thought those who had taken to wearing masks were exaggerating the seriousness of the disease. We had new year’s dinner with family, the kids wore their traditional outfits to school and fed red envelopes to the lion dancers, the city held their annual parade, and we even celebrated at Disneyland’s California Adventure, with local community groups coming in to perform and celebrate. Whether you say “新年快乐,” “Chúc Mừng Năm Mới,” or simply “Happy New Year,” Lunar New year is a huge celebration in our community and that celebration certainly isn’t happening in the same way this year. However, even though it’s tempting to focus on the fact that we’re sequestered at home and are physically separated from family, friends, and big celebrations, there is much optimism with the hope of the vaccine. All day, my phone’s been buzzing with new year messages, most of which end with “may the new year bring better tidings” or “may this new year bring much health.” Even talking to my in-laws for the new year today had an extra sense of joy, because they shared they are getting their second dose of the vaccine on Thursday. With light at the end of the tunnel, we are able to talk for the first time about maybe being able to see each other in person by the spring. When my son played piano for them virtually, I imagined it won’t be too long until these FaceTime visits will be replaced by the real thing. So here’s to the new year - may we all see health and peace.
• 
  2021-01-11

  Trying to Sell Girl Scout Cookies in a Pandemic

  The one thing people seem to know about Girl Scouts is they sell cookies. What people don't know is that the profit from the cookie sales is how troops pay for their activities and service projects. My daughter has loved selling cookies since she started Girl Scouts in kindergarten. For the past three years, she has sold over 1,000 boxes a year, which is a crazy amount of cookies to sell! Of course, having a mom who has an entire high school student body to sell to, and a dad who has an entire college campus to sell to doesn't hurt. This year, both her parents are working virtually, which means her customer pool has shrunk considerably. The Girl Scouts, knowing how important cookie sales are to the girls, moved the sale online. To try and drum up sales, my daughter created an online sales pitch to send to friends and family, and post on our social media along with her personalized link to sell her cookies. We are all completely shocked that she has managed to sell over 500 boxes through this platform. I am so proud of her, and all our girls who have worked to achieve their two profit goals: first, to buy supplies and fund activities for another troop in our area that is run out of a local rescue mission and serves girls experiencing homelessness, and second, to go horseback riding.
• 
  2021-01-24

  Almost a Year of Virtual Girl Scout Meetings

  When our Girl Scout troop transitioned online in the spring, we never foresaw the entire year being online. When my best friend/co-leader and I made the calendar in the summer, we originally made it through the end of 2020, thinking that by January we’d be back in person. I guess that shows how short sighted humans can be, a virus doesn’t run on a calendar, so it was silly to think things would be dramatically different without widespread access to a vaccine. So here we are in 2021, pushing through every other week. It has been really great to maintain the normalcy of meeting together, though. All the girls are either going to school on a hybrid (half the week in person, half at home) schedule or a full distance learning schedule, so it’s just nice to have the regular interaction with each other just like they did before quarantine. This also was a perfect opportunity to give the girls increased ownership of the troop. Now that they’re in fourth grade, we have made leadership roles, so the girls are responsible for different parts of the meeting. This takes the pressure off me for having to fill two hours on Zoom in a way that is fun and meaningful and doesn’t feel like school! I absolutely love seeing their creativity in making up games, activities, snacks, and issues/problems in our community they want to help fix. There also are some girls who used to be passive who have really loved this platform and have really stepped into being leaders. I am, however, running low on badges they want to earn that are easy to do over Zoom. The one shared here ended up pretty fun. To earn the “Simple Meals” badge, the girls worked in virtual groups to make different breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals. Then they basically did their own cooking show by walking the other girls through making whatever the dish was. Bonus - everyone was nice and full by the end! I miss my girls terribly, but we are so fortunate to be able to have the girls continue to meet, share, and support each other while we patiently wait for the cases to decrease.
• 
  2021-02-11

  Mini Oral History with Tracey Kole, 02/11/2021

  I recorded a mini oral history with my mom about silver linings.
• 
  2021-02-10

  Resist COVID Take 6! public art campaign targets misinformation, encourages vaccination

  The grassroots public awareness campaign Take 6! has started an art-focused COVID-19 awareness campaign. Their goal is to raise awareness of COVID-19, the safety measures against it, and the importance of getting vaccinated.
• 
  2020-05-31

  High School Graduation-- Covid-19 Edition

  May 31, 2020 Senior year, something that every student looks forward to the second they enter high school. It’s supposed to be a time for celebration, big life steps, and most importantly, spending one last year with the kids you grew up with. Starting senior year in the fall of 2019, everything seemed laid out before me, it was just a matter of finishing college applications and deciding on a college, worrying about who might be my prom date, and whether I would be starting goalie for my varsity lacrosse team. All those worries disappeared when schools got shut down March 13, 2020. At the time only for two weeks, given that Covid-19 was really beginning to hit the United States. My friends and I thought nothing of it and were hopeful for a return to school to finish out senior year. But weeks went on, and one-by-one, everything began to be canceled. First, it was lacrosse. Next, it was the permeant switch to online school. And last, perhaps the worst of all, the cancelation of prom and graduation. When it truly hit that the end of senior year had been taken away from us, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I sulked around for a long time, and even began to feel like I was losing friends. Flash forward to May 31, 2020, and I’m sitting in the back of my Dad’s truck, which was decorated in my school’s colors of green and black. I sat in my graduation cap and gown all by myself with my parents in the front of the truck. The community had come together to celebrate the Class of 2020 in the only safe way they could think of—a parade. We waited in a parking lot to drive by my high school one last time. Most of my classmates were there, sitting on top of cars, looking through sunroof windows, or sitting in the back of trunks. It was heartbreaking to see all of my friends split apart, all waving from our cars. Friends who I was only really friends with in class smiled and waved, all of us wishing the other well, and dying to give out a hug. As we began to drive through the neighborhoods leading up to the high school, the streets were lined with so many people (all socially distanced and with masks), holding signs and screaming for us. I didn’t cry until I saw my favorite teacher, who saw me and also started to cry, saying she got the letter I had sent her, thanking her for being my support throughout high school. It was such an overwhelming feeling of sadness and joy. When we finally made it to the high school, we all parked and waited to drive by the entrance one more time where they would call our names, as if we were walking across stage. The picture I am submitting is a moment when we had stopped, and I was standing there crying looking out at the high school and all of my classmates. The picture I feel captures how so many were most likely feeling in that moment. Knowing there was so many you didn’t truly get to say good-bye to, but so thankful for the opportunity to see each other from a far. Covid-19 took away so many things for so many people. Graduation was something I had been looking forward to for years. But to see the community come together for us high schoolers in such a confusing time is something I will never forget.
• 
  2021-02-07

  Supporting Children with ADHD During A Pandemic

  ADHD is thankfully not as new of a topic to talk about, but I cannot deny that the stigma against mental health still exists today. While thinking about how so many children are now spending a year and an uncertain future indoors, learning from home, and some unable to grasp why, I thought about those with ADHD. A person’s home is supposed to be associated with comfort and otherwise relaxation from a day at out in the world – at school and work for guardians. Associations can be very powerful, and it can be rather disruptive for children with this big of a change. Half a child’s day is typically dedicated to academics and social connections and is especially important for children in their formative years. Due to the pandemic, they have been pulled from that environment they have already associated with learning, friends, and routine. The links provide some assistance for guardians who may be struggling with their child(ren), especially those diagnosed with ADHD. Concentration and routine seem to be the biggest obstacles, so I do hope the strategies provided may be of help to guardians and their dependents. https://childmind.org/article/giving-kids-with-adhd-support-and-structure-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/ADHD-and-Learning-During-COVID-19.aspx https://chadd.org/adhd-and-covid-19/
• 
  2021-02-07

  Homelessness During a Pandemic

  A population that gets put last for many things is not going to be completely last for the COVID vaccine. Each individual US state is in charge of the vaccine distribution, but some states, like Connecticut for example, have homeless shelters and similar places under the “congregate settings” part of the vaccine rollout, typically in the first few phases. The homeless population is far too high in the US, and during the COVID pandemic, not much more than the bare minimum has been done. The CDC and many other health organizations have the homeless and other vulnerable populations written into the big picture, with guides and recourses for cities and governments. However, these vulnerable populations are high risk during this pandemic. Food banks have seen a major rise in 2020 as more people are facing economic hardships. Attached are a few related articles. While there are some people working tirelessly to improve the homeless situation in the US, more needs to be done. The articles give a glimpse into the various aspects of the homeless crisis in America, and how we are trying to help during the pandemic, but simultaneously not doing enough.
• 
  2021-01-28

  State expands access to COVID-19 vaccinations in rural areas

  In Tennessee, the state has announced new partnerships with rural pharmacies to more effectively reach the elderly outside of urban areas. This particular article focuses on East Tennessee and the rural counties surrounding the Knoxville metropolitan area. This is great news to those who do not live in cities as Tennessee is a mostly rural state. For some elderly people, they would potentially have to drive two hours to get to the city to get a vaccine. However, because of this new partnership, it will make it far easier for those in rural areas to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
• 
  2021-01-08

  Where Campuses Reopened, Covid-19 Cases Spiked. Where Colleges Went Remote, They Declined.

  This article compares the responses taken by higher ed institutions during the pandemic.
• 
  2020

  Community Connections: addressing food scarcity in Sacramento, California

  This website is a rallying point for Community Connections 95820, a community organization that works to provide food to families in need in the South Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento, California. This organization is picking up where food banks are leaving off as many of the food banks in this neighborhood have closed due to the pandemic, and families have been lacking food for a variety of reasons. This highlights food scarcity issues during the pandemic and efforts of community members to make sure their neighbors are still able to get food. The “About Us” page says Community Connections was inspired by a project called Invisible Hands, in New York City. Community Connections highlights their commitment to safety, dignity, and anonymity for the families, sponsors, and volunteers.
• 
  2020-07-17

  The new social justice movement feels different. That’s because it is.

  Politico looks at the social justice movements today in comparison to the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960's. For one, there are no clear leaders of the modern day social justice movements and there is less of a desire for political collaboration on issues today. The video shows movements present and why this movement is different than those of the past.
• 
  2020-12-10

  Movements & Memes: How The Struggle For Social Justice Shaped 2020

  Elly Belle refers to the year 2020 as a year of reckoning for North America. There are no better words to describe 2020. It was also a year of progress in spite of so much adversity. In the article Elly Belle seems hopeful saying, " The organizing and calls for justice that have taken place have provided the necessary framework that will influence work for decades to come — marking lasting changes in conscience beyond the ballot box. In turn, those who helped to secure food and housing for people, to hold police accountable, and transform what social services are funded will continue to push for meaningful, material change in the new year. From all that happened in 2020 alone, it's certain they’ll continue shaping conversations and movements in pivotal ways we haven't yet imagined."
• 
  2021-01-29

  Coronaland

  With Carnival parades cancelled, somebody had the bright idea to start the Krewe of House Floats to (a) make up for it and (b) to possibly offer work to unemployed float artisans. The results have gone beyond everyone's wildest imagination with 5,000+ people signing up in New Orleans, surrounding parishes, and around the world. This is a detail of an installation that shows how many people are feeling these days, “Cuckoo from COVID”
• 
  2021-01-29

  Coronaland

  With Carnival parades cancelled, somebody had the bright idea to start the Krewe of House Floats to (a) make up for it and (b) to possibly offer work to unemployed float artisans. The results have gone beyond everyone's wildest imagination with 5,000+ people signing up in New Orleans, surrounding parishes, and around the world. This installation, shows how many people are feeling these days, “Cuckoo from COVID”
• 
  2021-01-29

  Coronaland

  With Carnival parades cancelled, somebody had the bright idea to start the Krewe of House Floats to (a) make up for it and (b) to possibly offer work to unemployed float artisans. The results have gone beyond everyone's wildest imagination with 5,000+ people signing up in New Orleans, surrounding parishes, and around the world. This creation, at 430 Harrison Ave., gives the perspective of the crowd and advises people, “Six Feet when possible Y'All”.
• 2021-01-31

  Volunteering Breaks Hearts

  I volunteered at one of the County’s vaccination clinics last week. The health department ramped up their vaccination schedule, and we saw nearly 50% more traffic than the week prior, which was already 30% above its projections. Many of the folks over 65 (group 1C) here in Tucson are going up to Phoenix to be vaccinated as local health officials are still working their way through the 75+ crowd (Group 1B1). It has been both heartbreaking and frustrating that about a third of the vehicle occupants beg and plead for some special exemption for a family member who’s with them. Despite not yet being entitled to be vaccinated themselves, they hope someone lets them cut in line. Everyone has a special need and a special, unique circumstance that should enable them to jump ahead of their neighbors, and the selfishness of it agitates one of my few prejudices, especially when they don't take the initial 'no' for an answer. The public is so terrified, and many seem to fear they won’t manage to avoid illness in the coming weeks despite having done so for ten months now. It hurts my heart to see their suffering, to hear their fear and anxiety, to have to turn them away, and to know they’re asking for special treatment that might deny the delivery of vaccines to the most vulnerable populations. The hardest part has been, though, the number of elderly folks entitled to be vaccinated who can't navigate the online portal to get an appointment. The current vaccines are stored so cold that we can't deviate from the allotted appointments, but every day brings in elderly people who can't function in a digital world. The county can't spare personnel to offer immediate and realistic registration help to them, and many have complained of waiting on the phone for hours, only to have the county phone line hang up on them. The situation makes me want to find their grandchildren and ask why they don't give a damn about helping their grandparents. I also found out last night our organization's portion of the operation is winding down, and I do not expect to again be able to help facilitate vaccinations in my community. With time and eventual immunization, I hope to find other ways to serve my neighbors.
• 2021-01-31

  Suffering and Loss

  I work as an investigations contractor assigned to assist my county health department with interviewing positive covid-19 patients. I recently spoke with an 85-year-old C19 patient who was hospitalized and awaiting surgery for a brain bleed at the time of our conversation. She explained that she had fallen in her backyard trying to retrieve her feral cat's bed from a rainstorm, tripped, and laid in the rain for almost two hours before anyone found her. Both she and her late husband contracted covid-19 around Christmas, and he died soon thereafter. The hospital where he received his final treatments allowed her to visit him just before he passed, which is an unusual and gracious blessing at this time. The medical interview that normally takes 30 minutes required almost two hours and tears from both of us. When we finished, I wished her well, offered that I looked forward to speaking with her soon, and asked God to bless her. I called her hospital gift shop and ordered a carved wooden angel to be delivered to her room, as she’s a woman of faith. I had the card signed from me and the Health Dept, so I suppose I’ll find out this week if anyone complained about it. More than anything else, I’m hoping her file shows a successful discharge and recovery by now. She told me she looked forward to trading in the cafeteria food for her son's gourmet cooking, and I pray she's already done that.
• 
  2020-01-28

  IMMY Labs offers POD to help distribute Oklahoma vaccinations

  IMMY Labs is a local company in my area that had previously offered free COVID testing to Oklahomans. Starting last week IMMY Labs created a POD at the Embassy Suites in Norman, Oklahoma. This offered senior citizens and healthcare workers the opportunity to receive the Pfizer vaccine and automatically sign up for the follow up vaccination. The POD is processing approximately 1200 people a day. Before many people in my area were driving up to 150 or more miles, roundtrip, to try to get vaccines. This has greatly improved availability for the elderly in my area.
• 
  2021-01-07

  An Open Letter from Indigenous Peoples to Indigenous Peoples in Brazil on Surviving COVID-19

  This entry shares an open letter titled "Indigenous Peoples to Indigenous Peoples in Brazil." The letter includes artwork of Indigenous artists, to encourage, uplift, support, educate, and communicate about solidarity and strength of Indigenous communities. The open letter includes historical information, words on Acts of Resistance, and Acts of Healing. The webpage and downloadable letter/PDF are available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. This is important to capture because it is created by Indigenous Peoples for Indigenous Peoples, shared publicly via the Internet. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/una-carta-abierta-de-los-pueblos-indigenas-del-norte-los-pueblos-indigenas-de-brasil-sobre https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/carta-aberta-dos-povos-indigenas-do-grande-norte-aos-povos-indigenas-no-brasil-sobre-o-covid https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/carta-aberta-dos-povos-indigenas-do-grande-norte-aos-povos-indigenas-no-brasil-sobre-o-covid
• 
  2021-01-30

  Round Valley Indian Tribes, COVID testing and welfare checks

  This is a webpage hosted by the Round Valley Indian Tribes to present COVID-19 testing information (downloadable flyer), procedures to follow to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and a form to request assistance related to COVID-19 impacts.
• 
  2021-01-29

  Nostalgia in the Pandemic

  For those who have been on the Internet for longer which is the norm, many will remember what memes were in their early days. This Twitter has been working on showing them off to cause both nostalgia and a tinge of nausea from things that have been sleeping deep in the back of some people's mine, including my own.
• 2020-01-28

  COVID Testing Troubles

  I needed to submit a negative COVID test in order to go back to my apartment, so I went to a free drive-thru COVID test at my local community college. The lines were long, but surprisingly quick. However, I was surprised that I was not given a straw to spit my saliva into the tube with. In my previous COVID tests at my college, a straw was given. I had a bunch of saliva saved up in my mouth in anticipation, but I when I got my tube, I spit saliva on everything but the tube. My pants were drenched in my own spit, it was nasty. It was also kind of hard and awkward to drive through the line and spit at the same time. However, I was really impressed at how fast and efficient the testing process was. I ran into another issue later, when I got my test results via text but not through my official patient portal. I had to wait on call for around 20 minutes to request that my results be uploaded so that I could send proof of a PCR COVID test to my university. Despite these mild hiccups, I encourage people to get tested regularly if they think they have been in contact, or have symptoms.
• 2021-01-26

  Statistics of Covid-19

  Currently there are about 25,152,433 confirmed cases of Covid-19. And sadly 419,827 have died due to Covid-19. In California alone there are 3,136,158 cases with 7,937 cases per 100 thousand. There are also a couple new strains of Covid-19 that either spread faster or are more serious. Luckily, there are a few vaccines that are being distributed now. Covid-19 has caused a lot of trouble to many people, and lifestyles have and will change due to Covid-19.
• 2021-01-26

  Covid statistics

  Just today, 15,846 people died from Covid-19. In worldwide total, 2.15 million people have died so far. With 99.9 million people testing positive so far, you never know who will get it next. Currently there are 42.65 million people worldwide contaminated with Covid, a quarter of which are close to death, this is why its important to wear a face covering and keep up good hygiene. Even if your loved ones aren't high risk, you never know what the person you passed in the pasta isle could be going through. Hospitals around the world have had to convert their services to caring for Covid victims alone, leaving medical care scarce for people in need.
• 
  2020-06-29

  Canada Day 2020 — Let’s get active together!

  Government of Canada encourages the public to get active this Canada day. With the help of Canadian athletes to take up the fitness challenge and use the hashtag #ActiveTogether to share their experience.
• 2021-01-24

  My First Day at the Vaccine Shot Clinic

  I belong to a nonprofit organization called “Team Rubicon.” We normally devote resources and time to helping communities across the world recover from natural disasters while giving military veterans and Kick-Ass Civilians (my title within the org) a chance to serve in ways not otherwise possible. I’ve worked several community projects over the years, and I recently spent a day assisting one of my county’s COVID-19 vaccine clinics. I anticipated intrinsic benefit from the time spent, but I didn’t understand the extent of the highs and lows I felt that day. At one site in one day, our collective efforts administered vaccine to more than 1200 of our neighbors. Most everyone I encountered was happy, excited even, to be there, despite what has largely become our collective increased levels of anxiety. I have new empathy for healthcare workers who don masks for 12 hours. I interacted with several folks, though, who exhibited truly crippling fear and anxiety. One would not even roll down their vehicle window to speak with us despite the prevalence of PPE on everyone in sight and within a hundred yards. Another patient wore a high-end, professional respirator and swim goggles; they refused to touch any paperwork or documents passed through the sliver-thick they created in their window only for that momentary purpose. I lost my grandfather late last year, and speaking with several folks in his age bracket compelled me to tear-up a few times throughout the day. I’m grateful those grandparents, and likely great-grandparents, will very soon be much more likely to be around for future holidays. A deep breath or two, a forced smile, and on to the next patient. We don’t have the right to project our struggles onto those we’re trying to help. For most of the folks I met, the relief emanated from them like sunlight. Many intended to travel soon, some just wanted their basic freedoms back. Almost all expressed imminent plans to see absent family members and finally hold those most important in their lives. Without fail, everyone laughed when I asked, "Do you have an appointment to get shot today?" For me, the hardest part came at the very end of the day. The last group in line, in fact. A caretaker came in with two elderly patients with significant COVID risk factors. They weren’t on the confirmed appointment list despite having a digital confirmation in their email. For reasons unknown, it appeared to them they had appointments that day, but no such corresponding record existed to support that, which meant there was no vaccine for them. None. Doses could not be brought over or manifested regardless of what everyone wished could be done. As I understand it, the vials are stored in deadly-cold temps and cannot be retrieved for immediate delivery. All the fear, anxiety, and outrage those “confirmed” appointments might have lessened or dispelled for them came rushing back, and their anger had only one target: the guy saying, “No.” I intend to continue this volunteer mission, and I look forward to working ourselves out of a job. Someday, perhaps, this entire episode of our lives can become a bad collective memory we all agree never to discuss again.
• 2021-01-23

  Giving the Vaccine

  The process of giving the COVID vaccine is not as simple as one may think. For starters, hospitals and clinics have no idea when they will receive the next shipment of doses since it is held and distributed by the state. Scheduling appointments for the general population is difficult without knowing when they’ll receive the next shipment. Then, the paperwork is extensive for each patient. And when a bottle is opened, all doses must be pulled up immediately and distributed within 15-45 minutes, leaving little room for mistakes or missed appointments. Via Christi in Manhattan, Kansas, USA is proud to say they have not wasted a single dose yet, unlike many other hospitals across the US. The patient then has to wait for 15 minutes to be observed by the hospital staff for reactions before they can leave. If this sounds like a lot for a patient, imagine the process for the hospital staff.
• 
  2019-09-13

  Canceled Pride Parade

  My first time at a Pride parade was in 2019. The time at the pride parade made me super proud of who I am and that facet of my life. The photo I chose from the parade is that of the giant unicorn. I chose to use the unicorn photo because it truly represents LGBTQ+ people I feel because many people in my community consider themselves a unicorn which represents a mythological creature that is a myth and shows people view them as unique. The reason this picture represents Covid-19 is that for the past two years the Pride Parade in Durham, North Carolina has been canceled. It has bummed me out not being able to go to the Pride parade because having a new excitement for my community made me sad that I could not continue this. Also, I was looking forward to this event annually and making it a tradition.
• 
  2020-11-30

  Premier blames South Asian community for spike in Covid cases

  This article was made in response to comments made by the premier of Alberta, Jason Kenny towards the South Asian community of Calgary. In particular, Kenny had attributed the social gatherings and “tradition” of the South Asian community being the cause for a spike in Covid cases throughout the province. His comments were viewed as an extension of rising anti-Asian racism throughout the province, which can largely be attributed to the rhetoric of U.S. president Donald Trump as a means to escape liability for mismanaging the pandemic response. The community he blamed in particular is traditionally working class, who are employed in much of the city’s service and logistical jobs which are essential to the province as a whole. From food vendors, taxi drivers, cleaners, city employees – the frontline workers, those who are exposed most to the virus. Even more so, Jason Kenny’s comments caused further anger as he was somehow unable to assign the same blame to the swaths of mask-less protestors who marched in large groups throughout the province in defiance of government mandates in the following week. I believe this artifact would prove useful to the collection of Social Justice, mainly it is another Canadian experience based in the growing racialization/politicization of the covid-19 pandemic, and the ways in which conservative governments have attempted to scape-goat their own failings onto vulnerable communities. As throughout the pandemic, especially in the Western World, there has been an unnerving attempt to racialize the pandemic. Such as placing the blame on Chinese people, then Asian people as a whole; similarly this extends to working-class communities who man the frontlines to keep society functioning as normal. These communities (in regards to Calgary) are primarily composed of new immigrants who were not born in Canada, by Jason Kenny blaming these people for the upsurge in cases, he is exemplifying a racist generalization towards the entirety of the South Asian community of Calgary. In regards to Canada, this item matters to display that our pandemic experience was no different in that it illustrated the stark racial divides throughout the province, once compared to the primarily white ‘freedom’ marchers (who were also in the company of fascist/white-supremacist organizations such as the Proud Boys, Sons of Odin) walked proudly through our cities mask-less with little to no government comments as similar to Kenny’s on the SA community. I want to add these to the collection of Social Justice, as articles like these were first spurned on by anti-racist activists who initially heard Kenny’s remarks. What followed shortly after was a provincial outcry directed towards the premier for his questionable history in regards to racism. Situations like these prove that there is systemic racism at work within the government of Alberta, as the government racialized the issue of Covid-19, while looking away from the predominantly white mask less marchers.
• 
  2021-01-21

  The Clock App

  In a time where life went from full speed to a sudden pause, I felt like I was just standing in the middle of chaos and confusion. Prior to Covid, TikTok was seen as just an app for adolescence. However, to me it was bigger than that it was a communicate freely your comments, concerns, escape from reality. In a world full of darkness, this brought laughter to many faces. It is an outlet that felt like you were hanging out with your best friends. TikTok was the light in my life, being able to connect with so many people when that was stripped from us.
• 2021-01-21

  My experience with Covid.

  One day I was out for a walk with my dad and when we came home my mom told us that our neighbors, who we had hung out with the week before, tested positive for COVID! This was a bit of a surprise for our family because we had been really careful so that we didn't get our grandparents sick. Our neighbors ended up being perfectly fine, and so did we. We never ended up getting COVID. the week before they had gotten it we had played football with them at the park near our house.
• 2021-01-21

  How covid affected me

  I was driving back from Mammoth when my mom got the email that someone in my church that we see every week got covid. I immediately got worried because I was spending time with them at church. After we got that email, we realized that we had to be more aware of how close the virus was to home. We all got tests the next day and panicked until we got the results that we were all negative. This experience was very stressful and I do not think I want to relive that feeling.