Because of the peculiar perception of time that we have collectively experienced throughout the pandemic, it may feel odd that the US only began rolling out COVID vaccines in the beginning of last year. So much has occurred in the intervening months that the early days of the pandemic seem much further removed than they are.
Increasingly, the United States appears to have moved on. Roughly 80% of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine and virtually no lockdown restrictions remain in place anywhere in the country. At ACT-IAC, most of our conversations are focusing on the future and the changes that COVID has brought to Federal service delivery and the workforce.
While these are important conversations, it is equally important to recognize the profound loss that the world has experienced in these past two years. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of more than 1 million Americans and more than 6 million people globally. Millions more have suffered from a startling decline in physical and financial security and quality of life.
Unfortunately, this loss has not been borne equally within this nation or across the globe. COVID has instead magnified the inequalities already present in our social and economic systems, placing a greater burden on some communities over others.
This week, The Buzz is joined by LaRon Nelson, Associate Dean for Global Affairs and Planetary Health at the Yale School of Nursing to discuss the causes and consequences of these inequities. He urges us not to forget the hard-learned lessons of this pandemic and to endeavor to prevent them from re-occurring.
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Intro/Outro Music: Focal Point/Young Community
Courtesy of Epidemic Sound