... continued from Cover
Similarly, in California, nursing students stepped into their miracle-worker shoes early to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccines this January. According to the Los Angeles Times, a team of students from Cal State Long Beach volunteered their time to give shots, despite the crushing nursing school workload. When the call for volunteers went out, it was under the banner “HealthCare Heroes Needed” and the students came through immediately. “It wasn’t even a question of do I want to,” student nurse Naomi Muñiz told the Times. “If they need help and I can help, I’m going to go in.” Nurses like Amy and Naomi are still fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s not all high-fives and student solidarity out there. Many nurses are struggling with burnout because of the long hours and high pressure of treating patients while trying to protect themselves. Hopefully, this pandemic will end soon, but until it does, try to show some love to the nurses in our community. If you get a vaccine this month, thank the person who gives it to you! You can also make a donation or drop off a care package on the stoop of a health care worker you know. Even an encouraging text message on May 12 could make a world of difference.
Nurse Amy Dempsey and her husband, Whitney, both work at the Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge. Amy delivers babies, and Whitney provides hospice care. On their 26th wedding anniversary this January, each was scheduled to get their second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, but there was a twist! Amy was volunteering to administer shots at the hospital. Serendipitously, her husband was her first patient! He joked that getting poked was a great anniversary gift. 9 News captured the moment on film, and it warmed my heart to see the couple high- five afterward. What a sweet moment between heroes!
Happy National Nurses Day!
Could Vaccine Passports Open Doors for Travel?
CONCERNS ABOUT VACCINATION VERIFICATION
Another concern is a vaccine passport’s potential to create classes of “haves” and “have nots” among travelers. Many developing countries won’t receive the vaccine for another few years. Should they be barred from returning to normal? Similarly, could the vaccine passport be abused domestically, enabling private businesses to bar customers from their spaces without proof of vaccination? Finally, what form would these passports take if they were to exist? Would they be on a smartphone app? A laminated card? A verified doctor’s note? So, while the prospect of traveling far and wide this summer after getting vaccinated is exciting, it might be better to temper your expectations for now and hope for clearer guidelines in the near future.
Are you hoping to travel this summer? Not like how you “traveled” from your bedroom to your living room couch all this past year, but really travel — get out and see the world beyond your hometown. With the COVID-19 vaccines finally available, millions of people are becoming immune to the virus that has ravaged the global economy, especially in the areas of tourism and hospitality. Industry leaders in these sectors are understandably eager for the vaccine to bring back tourism. Some are hoping vaccine passports will play a part in jump-starting tourism around the world. Vaccine passports are a means by which someone can prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and are, therefore, free to travel internationally. Some countries are eager for the sort of verification these passports could bring, should they exist. The Seychelles, Cyprus, Romania, and other countries have all said they would welcome tourists who could prove they were vaccinated. Now, you might be sitting on the same couch you’ve sat on for the past year, thinking, “Well, I would like to travel internationally after I get vaccinated!” However, this proposal is not without concerns. Firstly, health care officials still don’t know if vaccinated people can transmit the virus. So, even if they’re vaccinated, they could still spread it to unvaccinated people around the world.
2 • www.TheSotoLawGroup.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online