Part One – Thankful – For Science

I am thankful that I’m living in a time of Science and Scientific Miracles.

I am thankful for the ability to communicate my thanks to doctors and nurses, and scientists.

I am thankful for RNA, Ribonucleic Acid, a nucleic acid present in all living cells.

I am particularly thankful for Messenger RNA, mRNA. 

Thank You Medical Community

I sincerely say thank you to them. You go above and beyond the call of duty and work for the betterment of humanity.

I know some people don’t trust doctors or scientists. But I am a staunch believer in Science. And in vaccines. 

That doesn’t mean I always blindly follow my Doctor’s advice all the time. 

Please read my story and listen to my podcasts, “Falling Down and Getting up Again and Again” and “How to talk to your doctor.”

I’ve been around my friends. I grew up in hospitals.

I Question EVERYTHING!

I challenge any and everything when it comes to decisions about my health. 

Just listen to my podcast, Falling or Talking to Your Doctor. 

I have written about this stuff.

But!!! And here comes a big But…

I am so thankful for the work that has been done on the COVID vaccine.

Here’s why.

10 Worst Epidemics 

I did some research on The 10 Worst Epidemics In Recorded History. The link is above. 

Here is the list:

1. Plague of Justinian            100,000,000 Deaths          541 – 532 AD
2. Black/Bubonic Plague        50,000,000                      1346 – 1350
3. HIV/AIDS                            39,000,000                      1960 – Present
4. 1918 Spanish Flu                20,000,000                     1918 – 1920
5. Modern Plague                   10,000,000                      1894 – 1903
6. Asian Flu                              2,000,000                      1957 – 1958
7. Sixth Cholera Pandemic       1,500,000                       1899 – 1923
8. Russian Flu                          1,000,000                      1889 – 1890
9. Hong Kong Flu                     1,000,000                      1968 – 1969
10. Fifth Cholera Pandemic         981,899                        1881 – 1896

I won’t go into all the ways millions of people died, but let me talk about one. The first one in recorded history.

Plague of Justinian 

 Quote:

“The Plague of Justinian hit humanity between 541 and 542 AD. It was responsible for the highest number of lives lost in an epidemic in history. Estimates believe 100 million people died during this time, which was half the world’s population. This plague spread so quickly because it was carried on the backs of rodents, whose fleas were infected with the bacteria. These rats traveled worldwide on trading ships and helped spread the infection from China to Northern Africa and all over the Mediterranean. Thousands of people died daily at the height of the destructive plague.” (End quote)

The Plague of Justinian. 100 million people died. For context, I will say, the Black or Bubonic Plague killed 50 million, HIV/AIDS has killed 39 million.

Fast forward to now. 2021. So far, the Coronavirus COVID 19 has killed 5 million people worldwide.

This is why I am blessed. And thankful! Without science, this disease could have killed millions more of it. The virus is strong and crafty. As someone said, it doesn’t have anything else to do but mutate and kill us.

I’m vaccinated. I have two of the Pfizer vaccine shots. In October, I got the booster and a flu vaccine.

Okay, tomorrow I could get hit by a truck. But, I won’t die from COVID 19.

So far, this Pandemic has killed 5 million people worldwide. But not me.

Here is a list of

COVID’s Symptoms

1. High Temperature – Fever
2. Chills or shivers
3. Persistent cough
4. Loss or change in smell
5. Change or loss of Taste
6. Headache
7. Fatigue
8. Sore Throat
9. Confusion – Delirium
10. Skin Rash.

But here is the real kicker. 

This is what happens when it’s too late. And you are going to die because of the COVID 19 virus.

And Then You Die

I got this information and the information above from two articles. this is from Covid 18 Deaths

1. Since the coronavirus attacks the lungs, it hampers the intake of oxygen. People with worsening Covid-19 typically show up in the emergency room because they are having trouble breathing.
2. As their lungs deteriorate further, they have a harder and harder time getting enough oxygen with each breath, meaning they need to breathe faster and faster — up from an average of about 14 times per minute to 30 or 40. Such gasping can bring about a very real sense of panic.
3. It feels like a band across their chest or that their lungs are on fire. Or like a thousand bees stinging them inside their chest. Others might have thick secretions in their lungs that make it feel like they are trying to breathe through the muck. Many people say it feels like they’re being smothered.
4. You are now isolated, alone in an ICU unit. This increases vastly increases a person’s risk for delirium, a state of confusion that can result in agitation, fear, and anger.
5. When you get to the point where you can no longer breathe, it’s time for the ventilator.

At this point, there is a 40 to 60 percent chance of death.

ENOUGH

I’m going to stop there. If you want to read more, you can. I’m stopping because I want to get to my new best friend, mRNA. Because I want to get back to science.

Here is the point of this post. The death I described hasn’t happened to more of us because of the Vaccines.

The COVID Vaccine Timeline – And The Miracle that is mRNA

The Vaccine was developed and distributed in record time.

2019

The SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 Pandemic started killing people in China at the end of 2019.

January 2020

China locked down the country. A Billion people locked down.

The Virus was NOT Contained.

February 2020

COVID Arrives in Europe and North America

At this point, when our President was saying to us it’s nothing, While saving to Bob Woodward, of the Washington Post, it’s bad, it is really bad.

Scientists and medical communities were sure we would need an Immunization program to deal with this killer.

But. Vaccines take time. Before COVID19, the fastest vaccine ever developed was the Mumps vaccine in 1967. It took four years.

Usually, it takes 10 to 15 years to bring a Vaccine to the public.

Deaths Increase

Here I must say, tens of thousands of people were suffering and dying from the beginning of 2020 and throughout the year and continue to die now. 

March 2020

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launches Operation Warp Speed. (OWS)

The goal is to fast-track a vaccine. Providing funds for companies, so they did not have to spend company funds on large-scale clinical trials.

Two companies, Maderna and Pfizer, decided to pursue a theory about vaccine technology. The technology is mRNA Vaccines. Maderna got money from the U.S. government, Pfizer was supported by a similar program in Germany.

Messenger RNA Vaccines

• Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines teach our cells to make a protein that will trigger an immune response inside our bodies.
• Like all vaccines, mRNA vaccines benefit people who get vaccinated by giving them protection against diseases like COVID-19 without risking the potentially serious consequences of getting sick.

July – August 2020

The mRNA Vaccine Technology put Maderna and Pfizer at the front of the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Both companies published Phase I/II clinical trial data.

Phase III Begins

Clinical Trials on Humans.

Early November 2020

The Results of the Clinical Trials show Pfizer’s and Maderna’s Efficacy rate is 95 percent.

By the end of 2020, both companies began producing enough vaccines for 20 – 50 million doses. They had developed a vaccine in a quarter of the time it took to develop one for Mumps.

Early 2021

Distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine begins.   

A Modern Miracle

I’m Gloria Moraga, alive and well in California, feeling blessed.

Thankful for Science.

Thankful for something called mRNA, Messenger RNA.

See Messenger. Communication.

Cells communicate with each other and protect us. 

Are we listening?

Happy Thanksgiving!