Page 10 - Adelante Magazine January 2021

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By: Al Ballesteros

2020

WHAT A YEAR
2020 has been a very difficult year for most of toll will be. emergency use authorization is for people
us, and the community in general. We are still aged 16 and older and the Moderna product is
dealing with a pandemic, which has destroyed This is a very dangerous virus so please do for people 18 and older.
the US economy, caused lost jobs, businesses what you can to protect yourself. Los Angeles
closed and changed our way of interacting with County has taken its place as the “epicenter” The Pfizer vaccine showed efficacy of 95% at
one another. The horrible instances of law of the pandemic in the United States. The preventing symptomatic Covid infection,
enforcement brutality against black and brown County of LA Public website says the level is measured starting from seven days after the
people are marked in our minds as are the “wide-spread.” second dose was administered. The Moderna
countless protest marches demanding justice. vaccine was 94.1% effective at preventing
If this was not enough, this past year, as we The best way to prevent illness is to avoid symptomatic Covid-19, measured starting from
were spending time indoors, we witnessed the being exposed to the Corona virus. The virus 14 days after the second dose. Both the
craziest Presidential election in recent times. spreads mainly from person-to-person Moderna and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines
Even though President Trump lost by more between people who are in close contact with require two shots. The interval between
than 7 million votes and huge margins in the one another (within about 6 feet). This occurs Moderna doses is 28 days; for the Pfizer
Electoral College, he has not yet conceded or by respiratory droplets produced when an vaccine, it’s 21 days.
congratulated President-elect Biden. infected person coughs or sneezes. These
droplets can land in the mouths or noses of Vaccinations started last month in Los Angeles
2020 is a blur for many and went by way too people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled County with hospital workers, skilled nursing
fast for some and way too slow for others. into the lungs. Continue to follow guidance to facilities staff and residents and other acute
protect yourself: Stay home except for care hospital staff, long-term care facilities staff,
Corona Virus: Staggering Numbers of essential needs/activities; Practice physical dialysis centers and ambulatory care workers
Infections and Deaths distancing – stay 6 feet away from people; and those in community health clinics.
Wear a cloth face mask if you leave home;
I’m sure we all agree that our way of life Wash hands with soap and water for at least Vaccines will most likely become available for
changed in March 2020 when the Covid-19 20 seconds several times a day; Avoid the general population beginning in late
virus caused widespread disruption in the cities touching eyes, nose or mouth; Cover your January and early February. It looks like
and communities we live. Here in Los Angeles cough or sneeze with a tissue or in your elbow. priority will be given to those in high-risk
and much of California, the safer-at-home groups, including those over the age of 70,
and/or shelter-at-home orders caused the Vaccines start to roll out those with other co-morbidities, such as
closure of many places we frequent in the diabetes and heart disease and other chronic
community. When the pandemic first began, I Two vaccines have been approved for use illnesses. If you are interested in getting a
for one did not believe it would last for nearly 10 against the Corona virus. The Pfizer vaccine, you should contact your physician or
months now and soon to be a year. It’s likely
we will be well into year two of this crisis before
things begin to start returning to normal again.
The vaccines for Covid-19 started being
distributed last month, with healthcare workers
receiving shots first. The vaccines will soon be
offered to the general public but it will take
some time to get tens of millions of people
vaccinated. There will also be those who are
hesitant to take the vaccine and we will need
public education campaigns aimed at providing
the information people need to make an
informed decision.
The statistics are numbing. More than 340,000
people across the United States will have died
from Covid-19 by the end of December 2020.
That is such a huge number and it is very tragic
and sad. To date, more than 19 million people
have been infected in the United States. The
more infections there are, the higher the death

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