HoweEnterprise.com
October 12, 2020
When will we be able to get the Coronavirus vaccine? Hey Taylor: How will the coronavirus vaccine distribution work? And will it cost anything? I’m Taylor hearing that one might be ready Kovar soon, but does that mean I can just go to my pharmacy and get it? - Stacey Hey Stacey: I’d love to say otherwise, but I’m worried this won’t be a fast or simple process. We’re all a little in the dark here; we can’t guarantee when a vaccine will be ready because we can’t guarantee what the FDA will approve. Once a safe vaccine is certified, we still have to deal with the issues of manufacturing, shipping, and selling. It looks like we have a good shot at getting something approved before the end of the year, which is pretty remarkable when you take a step back and look at the timeline. Nonetheless, approval is step one in a long process. Until the FDA signs off on the drug, it won’t be mass-produced. So, after we get all excited about hearing help is on the way, we still have to wait for that help to get made. Once that first batch of vaccine gets produced, the federal government has already placed an order to buy and distribute that. That should mean Americans can get shots - at least initially - for free, though it’s still unclear as to where the drug will be available. This is also dependent on either the Pfizer drug or one of the other American-made vaccines making it out of trials and getting approved by the FDA. If that company’s product isn’t satisfactory for any reason, all bets are off. Almost every potential vaccine will need to be taken in two doses
a few weeks apart, so that extends the timeline even further. It also might mean that anyone who doesn’t get in on the earliest round of vaccines will have to wait a little longer. Now, as to where a person can get their shot. Any medical office or pharmacy that plans to offer the vaccine has to enroll in the U.S. vaccination program and prove they have the adequate equipment, storage space, etc. That will further delay things and might rule out some clinics and smaller pharmacies altogether. With so many variables and so much scrutiny, I’m guessing the arrival of the vaccine will lead to a quick burst of mayhem and panic, and then systems will start to fall into place and we’ll actually get to see how the thing works. Solving this pandemic was never going to be easy, so it’s important to keep that in mind as the vaccination process unfolds. I wish I could give a more straightforward answer. Hopefully, though, this is at least a little helpful! Legal Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar.com or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901.
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Living with children Q: Our first child, a boy, just turned two. Per your advice, he is toilet trained and eating whatever I serve. Before he John was born, we Rosemond determined that we were not going to raise a picky eater. Our problem isn’t our son; it’s my sister-in-law, who has three kids, the youngest of which is four. She insists that my husband and I say “no” to our son way too much. Is that even possible? Our son is very active and determined to get his own way. Your advice would be greatly valued. A: First, I congratulate you on getting off to such a good start. These days, it is the rare child who is toilet trained on time (before twenty-four months) and equally rare for a two-year-old to be eating whatever is put in front of him. Those are hardly accidents of genetics or “luck of the draw.” They testify to parents who understand the need to set good disciplinary precedents early in a child’s life. Now, to the matter of your sisterin-law. I’m not there – on the ground, so to speak – to make an on-site assessment, but she may be correct. Most toddlers, especially boys, are “very active and determined” to get their own way, so it’s easy for parents to fall into the habit of over-using “no.” The problem is, the more parents say “no” to a young child, the less effective it becomes over time. As its effectiveness wanes, the tendency is to say it more often, and around and around go all concerned. Under the circumstances, discipline can quickly devolve into warfare,
setting the stage for increasingly nonproductive parent-child battles over everything from soup to nuts. Micromanagement, no matter the specific issue, is always driven by anxiety, and anxiety is common to first-time parents. In my public presentations (brought to a virtual halt by the pandemic), I often talk about the pitfalls of micromanaging discipline, the invariable result being everworsening behavior and evermore frustrated parents. The key to avoiding that trap with a toddler is childproofing. Go through the area of your home to which your son has daily access. Remove or put out of his reach anything you don’t want him handling. Put childproof latches on forbidden cabinets. Put up sturdy gates to rooms that are offlimits. Create a play space in which he can explore, create, and yes, even destroy (magazines he can rip to pieces, for example), to his heart’s content with minimal supervision from you. The more freedom you give him, the more peace you will have. Your sister-in-law may not be the most diplomatic of self-appointed parenting “experts,” but she just may have done you a huge favor that will yield an abundance of blessings in the long run. Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond.com, p arentguru.com. John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology. In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.
