Items

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  2020-09-25

  Reflections on COVID-19 - A Certified Pharmacy Technicians Perspective

  A letter written by me to describe my experience with COVID-19
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  2020-09-25

  Why haven't we done more to protect the lives of healthcare workers?

  The death of frontline health workers in the US was a tragedy. The majority of those who died were minorities and immigrants. The lack of ppe only made that problem worse, yet they still chose to stick around, wanting to help others. This speaks to my experience as a child of a frontline, minority healthcare worker. I was terrified to see my mother go to work every day, knowing that she would come into contact with this virus and put our entire household, including my then one-year old sister at risk. I don’t feel we have adequately served or protected our healthcare workers. A free meal at McDonalds is not adequate enough compensation given the risk that they were taking. Many did not receive pay increases yet were still expected to come to work every day. The lack of PPE only increased my anxiety. Many times, she was forced to reuse things like masks and gowns because the hospital did not have. She was made to feel like she could not quit or work less because the need for healthcare works was so great. She believed she would be perceived as selfish, and uncaring for choosing her family over the pandemic and its victims which really broke my heart. There were a lot of times that I could see her struggling with the fact that she was helping others but endangering her own family in the process. I have a lot of respect for her because she chose to persevere in the face of Covdi-19 and believe that more of our healthcare workers perspectives and stories should be known. They should receive more than they have and should have been more protected than they were.
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  2020-09-25

  The Rippling Effects of COVID-19

  COVID-19 came as a shock to everyone. No one could have predicted the rippling effects it has had in everyone's lives. This pandemic impacts all kinds of people- young, old, single, married, rich, and poor. It is the common thread among all of us. It is what binds us together during this difficult time. This time will never be forgotten. It will be written in textbooks and taught to future generations. Many families are going through a hard time. Who knew a virus could infiltrate people’s lives like this and flip them upside down? No one saw this coming. Many families are struggling financially including mine. We weren’t prepared for this. We thought it will all blow over soon enough. Unfortunately, we were wrong. First, my school closed. Then, my job place closed. Then, my gym closed. It seemed as if the whole world was shutting down right before my eyes, slowly stripping the things I love the most. The thought of being trapped in the house, all day, every day, for who knows how long, gave me anxiety. Slowly, life began to become very boring. Waking up knowing that you’re trapped in the house. Curfews were put up in my city. It’s like we were little kids and the Government was our parents trying to protect us from the monster- COVID 19. I suddenly had so much free time on my hands and didn’t know what to do with it. I decided to pick up some new hobbies. I tried everything. From painting to reading. It was a crazy time for all of us. When we were finally allowed out, I was so happy. Happy that everything will go back to normal, happy that I could get my old life back, happy that I could leave my house again. However, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. We had to wear masks, gloves, and maintain six feet apart between people. I remember the first time I went out in months. Everyone had covered faces and only eyes of sadness and fear were able to be seen. We all looked the same, yet on the inside we were different, each of us experiencing the impacts of the pandemic in a different way. I was shocked. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a virus, something that is not visible to the naked eye, has turned our lives upside down and forced us to deal with the consequences. As of now, September 2020, life is somewhat what it used to be, but it will never return back to the way we’ve known. The fact that this has become our new reality, is kind of scary. But we are not out of the clear yet, there’s still so much work to do. We have to cooperate with all the guidelines and stick together. Especially during these difficult times, together we are stronger. This is all my own interpretation of the times we live in now and how it has impacted me and changed our lives forever.