https://irp.nih.gov/blog/post/2020/05/a-long-tradition-of-vaccine-breakthroughs

By Cathy Jameson

I laughed when I heard someone talking on the radio last week.  I stopped laughing when I realized it wasn’t a parody story I was hearing.  I couldn't believe my ears when the announcer shared that an item, an empty vaccine vial and other “first” COVID19 vaccination paraphernalia, would be on display at the Smithsonian next year.  I don’t see how.  Typical protocol would have that used vial securely deposited in a sharps disposal container immediately after use. 

But none of what we’ve encountered in the last year has followed typical protocol. 

The timing couldn't be more appropriate, I guess.  It was just one year ago that life came to an abrupt stop for many.  Fearing that a novel virus would wipe out entire populations, many people scurried to their homes in March of 2020 promising to “do their part” to “flatten the curve” and “to keep hospitalizations down”.  Schools immediately closed.  Restaurants shuttered their doors.  Businesses transformed their brick and mortar existence to an online-only presence.  Within days of the massive shut down, restrictions across the nation and the world were in place. 

A year later, restrictions continue to hamper life as we knew it. 

Now, instead of focusing on flattening the curve, schools, businesses, and others are grappling with loss of progress, decreased customer base, and unforeseen changes in revenue and income.  Juggling too much for too long has taken a toll on both the young and the old.  In order to return to what was considered normal, promises from the top down were made to the public as the lockdown continued.  Even though less costly and less risky treatments for the recoverable illness were starting to be reported, top officials invested most of their efforts on a COVID19 vaccine instead. 

It, we were told then (and again last week) could end all of this.