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Ask a Vet
Author: TriSec    Date: 12/15/2020 10:21:00

Good Morning.

So - it is finally here. Is it possibly the only positive thing that has happened under President Trump?


One could make that argument regarding the coronavirus vaccine. But you could also make the argument that due to his largesse, "Operation Warp Speed" became critical and necessary in order to avert catastrophe.

In any case, the first vaccines have been distributed. Apparently here in Massachusetts at the V.A. Medical Center in Bedford (near Lexington and Concord - surely there can be no propaganda involved here.)


A female World War II veteran has become the first VA patient to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday.

Margaret Klessens, 96, was inoculated Monday at the VA Bedford Healthcare System, the first of thousands of veteran residents of long-term health facilities and VA medical staff expected to get the vaccine in the coming weeks.

According to the VA, the department began delivering and administering the vaccine, made by Pfizer and BioNTech, at the New Orleans and Bedford, Massachusetts, VA medical centers.

Thirty-five more VA hospitals are expected to receive shipments of the vaccine this week to administer to staff and veterans living in communal facilities, who are considered at risk for serious cases of COVID-19.

"Ultimately, the department's goal is to offer the vaccine to all veterans receiving care at VA," VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said. "As increased vaccine supply is obtained, VA plans to distribute these vaccines at additional facilities to provide the vaccine to more veterans and employees."

According to the VA, the 37 facilities to receive the vaccine this week were chosen for their large veteran populations and ability to store vaccines at extreme subzero temperatures.

The Bedford VA nursing home where Klessens lives serves 240 veterans. Since the beginning of the outbreak, 473 people at the Bedford VA, including patients and staff, have contracted COVID-19; 38 have died. Currently, the facility is monitoring 42 active cases in its patient population.


Let me be the first to say it - while I have often wished for failure of everything and anything associated with Mr. Trump...this time, at least. I hope it does work. But there is a curiosity, and I wonder if smarter bloggers than I can shed some light on this. The Pfizer vaccine is required to be stored at 70 below zero. But why, one wonders? As a first aider, I can tell you from first-hand experience that it matters little to humans whether it is one degree below zero or thirty - frozen is frozen. I am curious why the extreme temperatures are necessary, but I digress.

Back to our veterans, though. In addition to receiving the first "new jab" (Thanks BBC), there are many that will be involved in distribution. Twenty-Six states will be using the National Guard as part of the effort.


On Monday — as the first coronavirus vaccines went into arms across America — senior National Guard officials from Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia detailed the critical role their troops are playing in distributing the vaccine in spite of its extreme storage temperature requirements.

“Currently, governors in 26 states and territories are planning to use the National Guard in some capacity for COVID-19 vaccine distribution,” said Nahaku McFadden, National Guard Bureau’s chief of media operations.

“The first doses of the Pfizer vaccine are arriving currently,” said Army Brig. Gen Murray “Gene” Holt, assistant adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard. His state has tapped around 100 troops, including healthcare professionals, to assist with distribution, he explained in Monday’s press conference.

None of the three states participating in the Monday press conference will have troops administering the vaccine, said the Guard officials. Nor will they be escorting the shipments.

The Ohio National Guard’s main role in the distribution process is repackaging large shipments of the Pfizer vaccine at the Ohio Department of Health’s warehouse facility, said Army Maj. Gen. John Harris, the Ohio National Guard’s adjutant general. “Our job will be to take those large Pfizer shipments…[and] break them down in smaller increments,” said Harris. “We’ll have about 30 people here in Ohio working on that.”

The repackaging process is complex, explained Harris.

“It’s a very scripted and very disciplined process for getting it out of those ultra-low temperature coolers,” he said, citing detailed training and “specialized PPE” as a requirement for troops supporting the mission.


Elsewhere in the story, it does note that final delivery will be in "rental vans" instead of via Hummvee - but I'm still not sure I like that visual. "Here comes the Army with what the Government thinks you need!" Surely, no useful propaganda visuals will come of this, either.

Moving on - how about a now-patented dramatic AAV shift in gears? Let's talk about SEX! Surely, none of us has gotten much during the Coronavirus crisis. Despite the biologic necessity of the act, discussion of any such thing remains a national taboo. But go figure - at least one voice is calling for the Army to change that.


Long after the sexual revolution of the 1960s, which challenged cultural and moral attitudes about human sexuality, sex is still a taboo topic for the U.S. armed forces. The military’s approach to sexuality and sexual health within its ranks has remained largely ineffective and reactive. Therefore, similar to other constructed Defense Centers of Excellence, a Military Sexual Health Center of Excellence (MSHCoE) could provide research and education to benefit members of the armed forces who are dealing with issues related to a range of sexual health and intimacy issues — including those that underlie mental health, substance abuse and suicide ideation challenges.

Discussions of sex in the service tend not to be proactive or informative. Instead, leaders primarily discuss sex with their troops as it relates to crimes and misbehaviors, such as assaults, fraternization, fornication and adultery -- which remains a court-martial offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice despite being obsolete in most civilian courts. By maintaining this rigid approach, sexual activity remains a taboo topic for the military and fosters a command culture of denial and avoidance. Historically, women in the military ranks have been most harmed by these patriarchal regulations, which limited their ability to achieve full integration and equal status without being seen as a threat to unit cohesion. However, as women have broken down service barriers within the last few years, their rates of victimization have increased. And while Congress continues to debate whether military commands or civilian authorities should adjudicate sexual crimes, socio-sexual stigma remains.


It's a lengthy read today - but worth your time to check out the entire article. Given the culture of misogyny and abuse approved and supported by the current administration - that's just another thing on President-Elect Biden's long laundry list of things to fix.









 
 

5 comments (Latest Comment: 12/15/2020 16:31:50 by Raine)
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Comment by wickedpam on 12/15/2020 14:09:25
Morning

Comment by Raine on 12/15/2020 14:54:09
good morning!

Comment by livingonli on 12/15/2020 16:26:30
Good morning. Getting my first physical therapy sessions with the prosthetic.

Comment by wickedpam on 12/15/2020 16:28:31
Quote by livingonli:
Good morning. Getting my first physical therapy sessions with the prosthetic.


Good Luck!!


Comment by Raine on 12/15/2020 16:31:50
Quote by livingonli:
Good morning. Getting my first physical therapy sessions with the prosthetic.

So happy for you, Liv!