SARS-CoV-2 Chemistry Project How can the lens of chemistry be used to inform societal practice and policy designed to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2?
The lens of chemistry can be used to inform societal practice and policy designed to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by diving into the microscopic chemical makeup of a virus. We have learned that SARS-CoV-2 is spread through tiny particles in our mouths that are exposed to others through our breaths, coughs and sneezes etc. This is why wearing a mask is so critical when in public. Since we are constantly surrounded by other people who can easily share their own particles which could potentially contain Covid, it is also very important that we keep 6 feet of distance from one another. Furthermore, I have learned that the thickness of a mask defines the effectiveness of it, meaning that if it is thin, has a low string count, or can be seen through when put up to a light, it will be less effective keeping smaller particles than say a thick, strong fabric that has a higher string count (more tightly woven and bound). The way that particles are transmitted is crucial to knowing how we can better combat the virus and protect ourselves most effectively. For example when we first came to school this semester, we were uncertain as to whether or not the virus was spread through fomites; infected surfaces, and if so how long those surfaces could stay infected. By learning these things and being better informed, we can less hesitantly and more willingly take the strongly suggested protocols for the sake of our own health, and that of the people around us. When the semester was first introduced, these questions seemed very complex and difficult for me to answer. I had some difficulty understanding what they were even asking. However as the unit progressed and we proceeded with our research and learning, I found I was able to apply my knowledge to answer them more reasonably.
How did your knowledge of science grow through your work on the project? I found it very interesting that in this unit we were able to actually apply what we were learning to what is going on in the world today. Typically I do a project and then forget the majority of what I learned throughout it, however in this case since the subject matter was applicable and relatable to my everyday life I will hold onto the information for a long time. Throughout the unit, I learned the chemical and biological tendencies of a virus in the way it is created, spread and multiplied. On a bit of a different note, I solidified my understanding of how DNA, tRNA and mRNA work and how they can be related back to the virus. In addition I learned how we can use our knowledge of how our bodies recognize a virus in order to create a vaccine that acts to train our bodies to fight off the same virus later when it is transmitted to us, without experiencing the symptoms.
Report From Interviews The past year has been simultaneously one of most uneventful years for the average teenage US citizen and busiest for people working in the medical field. SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 (the Corona Virus) has been making a desperate and effective impact on the health of millions over the past several months. After speaking to several medical professionals in Durango, La Plata, Farmington and even Boston Massachusetts, I was able to discover the true amount of pain and suffering that not just the people WITH Covid have been going through, but also the doctors and people working with them have. The most prevalent issues that came up were the way hospitals were reacting to the adversity that the pandemic has presented, the precautions that need to be taken in order to prevent or at least minimize the spread, the potential and predicted effectiveness of a vaccine, the impact the pandemic has had on them personally and the United States as a whole has dealt with it from the beginning to the present.
The hospital in Farmington where Jen Hargrove, an ER doctor works has a very precise and unwavering protocol for keeping each doctor healthy and safe from their patients with the covid virus. Jen says they “lagged behind in the Spring during the first wave” compared to places like Colorado Springs and Denver mostly because of its remote location. However, since then there has been much more information and access to the necessities for keeping healthy. For example in the Emergency room, every person working has to check their temperatures daily and check themselves for potential Covid symptoms and make sure not to come to work until they have passed and they have been tested. In addition, each doctor has to wear an N95 mask, a gown and “pappers” which are a hooded device that more effectively keeps away germs.
In the Boston hospital where Crystal Presnell, an emergency and operating room nurse was furloughed to, there was an extremely specific and serious protocol. Since she initially worked predominantly in the operating room, she was only seeing the emergencies. In the past, many patients would come in to receive surgeries and operations that weren’t essential for their survival, such as hip surgeries and small unnecessary operations. The switch from seeing many of those types of patients to only people in critical condition [who were determined “able to have surgery” by meeting criteria created by a committee specifically organized to decide who was “covid- free” and in bad enough of condition to be allowed] created more stress, and brought less people into the operating room in general. Crystal explained that most of the money in the hospital is made from their operations because of how expensive they can be, and without that source of income, and the necessity to spend money on other hospital equipment such as N95 masks, ventilators and other personal protection equipment (PPE) the hospital has found itself in debt. When Crystal wasn’t working in the operating room, she was tending to Covid patients in the emergency room and hospital beds which at the time of her stay in Boston were dangerously lacking. To further ensure that as a hospital worker she was staying completely free from catching the virus, Crystal was assigned a “buddy- nurse” who acted as an extra pair of eyes and ensuring things such as being sure that she wasn’t contaminating surfaces with covid after meeting with a patient, washing PPE consistently and constantly being accountable for each other when following the covid safety protocols. This was a very “effective and nice” support system that helped to keep the staff at the hospital healthy and sane.
Since returning to Durango after working in Boston where everyone followed the covid guidelines for several months, Crystal noted that she felt a sense of “culture shock”. People in the city of Boston had “this uniting force [because] they were hit so heavily” at first she explained. They had learned from the first wave and have taken the second one much more seriously. There was no debate on how real it was. In contrast, “no one was social distancing in Durango” when she returned. People were certainly not being as cautious as in Boston let alone as much as they should have been. The fact that there were signs and any argument or push back at all in town was mind boggling to both Crystal and Jen. Jen explained that the biggest culprits of contributing to the spread of Covid in Durango are the College students who “are hardly taking any precautions” at all. In addition, the amount of partying that tends to come with being in high school has only contributed to spreading the virus more, and Jen explained that after Halloween, numbers of Covid cases “skyrocketed”. Crystal mentioned that perhaps the reason people in Boston were taking the pandemic so seriously was because they really couldn’t afford not to. The city was created in a close and compact way as to bring people in closer quarters with each other. Many people were sharing apartments, and living in smaller homes whereas Durango tends to be more spread out and spacious in neighborhoods. However, regardless of the extra space, Durango is currently ranked number two in the country for increased cases since the first wave. While Durango has been very lackadaisical about taking precautions and simply wearing masks and social distancing, the mortality rate in Colorado is lower than most other states. This is because people are more active and predominantly eat a bit healthier. Statistics show that Colorado has considerably less type 2 diabetes. Someone with a healthier body often will have a healthier and stronger immune system. That being said, according to both health professionals it is still absolutely critical that we socially distance ourselves, correctly wear our masks, and learn to sacrifice some of our personal comforts for the greater good. Furthermore, Jen went into detail on the importance of the material and type of mask that people wear. For example a typical buff is not very effective as they are thin and as a result cannot block out many of the smaller particles that the virus is found in. A simple test she described to determine if a mask will adequately block out most particles is by holding the fabric up to a light; “if you can see through it, it’s not going to block out many particles. The darker it is, the thicker it is and the better it’s going to be”.
On another note, when asked how the United States as a whole has been dealing with the pandemic, Jen replied in saying that “we are the laughing stock of the world”. Since the very beginning of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, the US was not prepared. There was no emphasis on how very dangerous the virus really was and there was very little information that was shared with the public regarding the impacts and necessary precautions to take in the beginning. Jen emphasized that there were not enough federal mandates and we simply did not have the necessary resources and access to PPE and things that could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives. In comparison to other countries, Jen described how almost every country that had the means to, began stockpiling necessary supplies and brought the information out into the public. Jen and Crystal seemed to agree that as advanced and developed of a country we are, “we could have done better”. Finally, Jen infuriatingly told me that “The way that wearing masks has become a political issue is a JOKE”. Crystal added that “We are the only idiots in the world who have done this… It's not a blue virus or democratic disease,”. The idea that the US is so privileged and lucky enough to have such a strong democracy that we made a global pandemic political is maddening and offensive to health professionals and anyone who has lost a loved one to the virus.
Personally, both women had a lot to say about how they had been impacted by the pandemic. Jen described that at work, “Shifts are physically uncomfortable” with wearing an N95 mask from hours on end. It’s “itchy, really hard to breath and very tight”. She didn’t think people understood how physically demanding work had become. Furthermore, Jen explained how much of an impact Covid has had on her personal life and well being. In the spring, she and her family had experienced a lot of “fear, anxiety and unknowingness” around the virus itself. During the majority of the first wave her 9 year old son wouldn’t sleep in concern for the lives of his parents and fear that they were going to die from exposure. As the pandemic has dragged on, she has lost a very close colleague (whom she admitted to the hospital herself) and worked side by side with her for 12 years to the virus. In total, four of her coworkers have died of covid. However death isn’t the only way she has lost people in her life; her father who is married to a woman with cancer and will die if exposed to the virus refuses to wear a mask and socially distance in public as “it is a violation of his personal freedom”. His “sheer ignorance to evidence and cold hard facts” Jen said is “infuriating, angering and maddening” and as a result has lost her relationship and terms to talk with him. Crystal has had a similarly frustrating experience. When asked what she would tell people who aren’t taking the pandemic seriously she said she would “Ask people to stop being so damn ignorant and start following the guidelines”. After living in a reality where people were taking initiative and cared for the well being of their neighbors, Durango has made her lose confidence in the intelligence and compassion that the people have. However working in the hospital in the capital has had a lasting impact on her and she said that the thought of “going back makes me sick to my stomach”. She also shared a meme that showed a grotesque and exhausted face with the caption ““what happens when I actually take a moment to process the shit I’ve seen”. Crystal explained that some nurses coped with the amount of suffering they saw day to day with jokes or sarcasm or dark humor. But nothing can describe how truly unforgiving Covid is when taking lives. Since the virus is so contagious and has the potential to be deadly, nurses are the only ones allowed in the room with patients. “When someone is dying of covid, they have no one,” she said. Crystal described how she has had to sit by peoples sides and watch them die. With exasperation she said “People are not meant to die alone without their family or friends”.
Finally, although Covid has had a lasting and terrible impact on medical workers and millions of people who have lost loved ones, there is a flicker of hope. Pfizer and Moderna have been developing a vaccine in record time to combat the virus. According to Jen, doctors in Durango will be able to be vaccinated around December 22nd. Some have shared some skepticism around the likelihood of it actually being effective, however Jen decided that it is the right thing to do in her position of work to get it regardless. While there still is some controversy and certainly not certainty around it, it is still important that people who are at risk of dying, elderly or front line workers receive the vaccination in order to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Jen also argues that since we are as developed and technologically advanced as we are, it makes sense that we were able to adapt a vaccine in a matter of months.