Vaccine testing causes another problem
Savina Kim
April 6th, 2021
April 6th, 2021
Since March 2020, millions of people have faced limitations in their daily lives. To minimize in-person interactions, many people worked at home and students took their classes virtually through platforms like Zoom. When going outside, masks became a requirement. As COVID-19 took millions of lives away in 2020,, the development of the vaccine became a pressing issue.
By the end of 2020, many vaccines were already made, but most of them were not accessible as the vaccines needed to go through a long testing period. In clinical trials, the vaccines need to be tested and observed in volunteers of various ages and health conditions in order to confirm the efficiency and to prevent any fatal consequences. Currently, Moderna and AstraZeneca are the two major vaccines that are publicized and in use.
With these approved vaccines, thousands of people are getting vaccines every day at their assigned vaccination provider site. Health and social care staffers, elders, and other vulnerable people are prioritized. Then, the age range between 40-49 years, 30-39 years, and 18-29 years will be vaccinated in the respective order. The number of people vaccinated are increasing daily and in the status quo, over 61% of the people are vaccinated in Israel and over 51 million U.S. citizens are fully vaccinated. At this rate, scientists and pharmacists predict most people around the world would be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine within this year.
In fact, the effect of the vaccine hints at encouragement and hope towards the end of wearing masks at all times. When vaccines were first introduced early this year, eye-catching changes were seen worldwide. Between January and mid-February, the number of new cases per day dropped from around 845,000 to 386,000. The vaccines not only limited the rising number of cases universally but has ensured that the fully vaccinated people are less likely to transmit COVID-19 to others.
However, the vaccine testing process is causing harmful environmental impacts. The mass transportation and maintenance of vaccines are ringing the bell of environmental damage. As the numbers of COVID-19 increase, the amount of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, suits, and shields, is increasing. “We don’t have the shortages in PPE that we had at the beginning of the pandemic, but we use much more disposable items as before,” Dorota Napierska, chemicals policy and projects officer at NGO Health Care Without Harm Europe, said. As Napierska stated, the environment is an aspect that needs attention.
On the bright side, some people are making efforts to relieve the problem. In Paris, some hospitals used bike delivery to reduce the environmental footprint of the last mile. It does reduce the toxic gas released into the air. However, this brings up another problem: 25-30 percent of the vaccines will be wasted as the bike is not safe transportation.
As the pandemic continues, it is crucial for NGO communities and the public to also consider the extent of harm that the plastics that vaccines are producing. It is urgent to take measures to combat this situation before it is too late to turn back.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/health/cdc-travel-vaccinations.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55045639
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html
By the end of 2020, many vaccines were already made, but most of them were not accessible as the vaccines needed to go through a long testing period. In clinical trials, the vaccines need to be tested and observed in volunteers of various ages and health conditions in order to confirm the efficiency and to prevent any fatal consequences. Currently, Moderna and AstraZeneca are the two major vaccines that are publicized and in use.
With these approved vaccines, thousands of people are getting vaccines every day at their assigned vaccination provider site. Health and social care staffers, elders, and other vulnerable people are prioritized. Then, the age range between 40-49 years, 30-39 years, and 18-29 years will be vaccinated in the respective order. The number of people vaccinated are increasing daily and in the status quo, over 61% of the people are vaccinated in Israel and over 51 million U.S. citizens are fully vaccinated. At this rate, scientists and pharmacists predict most people around the world would be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine within this year.
In fact, the effect of the vaccine hints at encouragement and hope towards the end of wearing masks at all times. When vaccines were first introduced early this year, eye-catching changes were seen worldwide. Between January and mid-February, the number of new cases per day dropped from around 845,000 to 386,000. The vaccines not only limited the rising number of cases universally but has ensured that the fully vaccinated people are less likely to transmit COVID-19 to others.
However, the vaccine testing process is causing harmful environmental impacts. The mass transportation and maintenance of vaccines are ringing the bell of environmental damage. As the numbers of COVID-19 increase, the amount of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, suits, and shields, is increasing. “We don’t have the shortages in PPE that we had at the beginning of the pandemic, but we use much more disposable items as before,” Dorota Napierska, chemicals policy and projects officer at NGO Health Care Without Harm Europe, said. As Napierska stated, the environment is an aspect that needs attention.
On the bright side, some people are making efforts to relieve the problem. In Paris, some hospitals used bike delivery to reduce the environmental footprint of the last mile. It does reduce the toxic gas released into the air. However, this brings up another problem: 25-30 percent of the vaccines will be wasted as the bike is not safe transportation.
As the pandemic continues, it is crucial for NGO communities and the public to also consider the extent of harm that the plastics that vaccines are producing. It is urgent to take measures to combat this situation before it is too late to turn back.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/health/cdc-travel-vaccinations.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55045639
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html
