My thoughts while getting the second dose of COVID vaccine
Technology and Privilege
‘A deadly second wave of coronavirus is devastating India, leaving MILLIONS infected and putting stress on the country’s already overtaxed health care system’
I am reading the NY times headlines as I check my phone for the timings of my second ‘Pfizer’ vaccine doze. Things are looking up. CDC eased masks restrictions for fully vaccinated people and life seems to be turning to normalcy.
What a contrast ! The past two weeks have been like never before, a real life nightmare I would say. All my friends infected with covid. Whole family- parents and grandparents infected. People battling for life, searching for oxygen cylinders, remdesivir and hospital beds. The continuous rally of bad news doesn’t seem to stop.
I quiver every time I pick up a call these days!
I am trying my best to do as much as I can sitting here miles away. Ordering food, juices, calling in every three hours to check their oxygen level and temperature. Everything else seems so irrelevant at this time. But here I am taking my second shot.
I feel guilt, helplessness and resentment towards my life and privilege.
Oh dont get me wrong, I was always aware of my privilege. I always was grateful to be here in the United States. But being outside of my own country and watching people struggle for every breath is something I never imagined.
As I walk into the CVS pharmacy and wait for my turn scrolling my social media feed. I receive a text message from a friend that her mother has passed away. This was my breaking point. I was thinking the worst now….
I tried to note down my thoughts.
I am thinking of privilege
The first thing that comes to my mind with a sigh is ‘privilege’. I am here taking one of the best vaccines which is not even available in most parts of the world. I dont want to go into the causes of vaccine inequality. A lot of experts have given its opinion about it. But I feel helpless by living in a country where almost 50% of the population is vaccinated with the first dose and I can do nothing for my family back in India. I am still learning of how to look at this privilege and use it to help others. I am still trying to answer the question if I am doing enough that can be done for my society and my people.
I am thinking about technology in India
India ranks third among the most attractive investment destinations for technology transactions in the world. (Source)
But still the vaccine portal crashed within minutes after opening to all adults. Users complaining about glitches and getting 504 errors.
This makes me wonder as someone working in technology and being modestly aware of recent developments, how can we fail at such basic software systems. People who are already overwhelmed with surging cases are in a hurry to book a vaccine appointment for themselves and their loved ones. And at that point they have to face technological challenges with a simple website not working! How and why did we fail so bad?
I am thinking about social media
With the Covid-19 crisis pushing the health care system past the breaking point, online grass-roots networks sprung up to get aid to people who need it. With messages for help quickly amplifying on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, people are turning for online help.
There is a lot of data being generated on social media asking for resources. Could there be a way to find out how efficient these requests have been? Is there a more organized way to have such requests. Although these are great to help someone but some things can still be improved
- False Resources- There is no way to verify if a source for help that an known ‘online person’ mentions is legitimate. If I am searching for an oxygen cylinder, I probably wont have the patience to try 10 different numbers and see which one is working.
- Online Scams- There have been many cases of scams where the scammer asks for money online in advance and after the payment disappears. People desperate for their lives are paying this amount only leading to a dead end with no further communication from the person.
Thinking about fake news
People are dying due to 5G not covid ~ Fake claim in circulation that people are dying due to 5G trials and not COVID-19 — Oneindia News
These news are not just disgusting but the social media companies (aka we) need to do a better job at stopping these at an early stage.
