The Octagon
December 15, 2020 • News
Vaccine: (continued from page 1) vaccine trials are being conducted and the vaccine’s effectiveness, Conner said she is cines. “Every time you hear in the news about a trial being stopped because of adverse reaction, they’re actually doing the testing properly,” Conner said. She added she is not concerned about will be 100% effective. “Because everybody’s body chemistry is a little bit different, how your body integrates the medicine is going to be a little bit different from other people, which is also why some people have more side effects than others,” Conner said. Though Conner would be vaccinated when possible, she understands there is limited availability.
people — that’s going to be the health care workers, which is appropriate.” Senior Kenyatta Dumisani doesn’t plan “I believe that it’s prudent to be vaccinated in the modern era, but this is a very abnormal time,” Dumisani said. Dumisani feels the development of this vaccine may be rushed. Another factor of Dumisani’s decision is uneasiness caused by how African Ameriicine in the past. “Just looking back on the history of black people in medicine in this country — if you look back to Henrietta Lacks or the Tuskegee experiments — I don’t think it’s in my cines,” he said. “And looking at the rate at which America is taking care of patients in general, not
to mention my community, is a bit troublesome,” he said. Because of the rapid development of this vaccine, Dumisani fears something could go wrong that would put him at risk of COVID-19. “I want to stay as far away from that virus as possible,” Dumisani said. “I’ve read enough about how you have to get a pipe down your throat in order to breathe — it’s horrifying stuff.” Like Dumisani, junior Kali Wells also plans to wait for the second wave of vaccines to get vaccinated. “The vaccine is super new, and I’m not sure how much testing is going on with it,” Wells said. Another factor in Wells’ decision is the possibility of unknown side effects. “I’m honestly not super concerned about the effects, but we still don’t know too much about the long lasting effects and
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what might happen in the future,” Wells said. Dr. Trivedi urges the spread of information that mRNA vaccines are effective and safe. Though potential long-term effects remain unknown, adverse effects of vaccines will happen within six weeks of the injection, and scientists have three months of data on adverse effects of this vaccine, Dr. Trivedi said. “It is the duty of not only the health care providers but for everybody who is in some sort of position — either journalists or TV anchors — to spread information that these vaccines are safe, these vaccines are effective,” he said. “Since there’s so much out there in social media, and there’s so much misinformation, we have to counter that misinformation by using our methods of communication,” he said.
Remote: Testing required for in-person learning (continued from page 1) will also return. Mandatory testing will continue after winter break and into the new year, according to a Dec. 4 school-wide email. Another switch to remote learning will be made from Jan. 4-8, 2021. This switch will be made to provide a buffer between Christmas and New Year’s travel and in-person school. Families who travel during the break to high-risk areas are required to self-quarantine, according to the school’s COVID-19 Policies and Procedures. However, the buffer is only one week, as opposed to the two weeks after Thanksgiving. This is due to both testing date availability and dates of likely exposure, according to a Frequently Asked Questions document sent to families on Dec. 4. A testing date will be available on Jan. 5 in order for students and faculty to return to campus on Jan. 11. If a student tests positive for COVID-19 on one of the test dates, the family should notify their doctor and Country Day CFO Bill Petchauer.
In the future, the school hopes they would like to be in school He prefers the one asynchroto conduct bi-weekly testing, more,” he said. nous day of the remote schedule Wells said. “There are also a few who have to the two Zoom days and the “I think that the best way to said, essentially, ‘it’s been pretty switching Friday of the hybrid mitigate your risk is to have our safe so far, why go remote now?’” schedule. social distancing, have masks and Thomsen said. When deciding whether to rethen add a layer of negative tests While Wells doesn’t think there turn to campus with the hybrid every week or two weeks,” he said. will be any changes to the high schedule, he’s worried about The bi-weekly testing is - the COVID-19 statistics, but he planned to eliminate the switch- cations to the hybrid schedule are thinks the precautions the school es back to remote learning while being considered. has been taking have been effecawaiting results, according to the “We’re looking for ways to cre- tive. Dec. 4 email sent by the school. ate a longer lunch break, have an “There didn’t seem to be any The school is still working on advisory period, have a morntransmission that I knew the details of the plan, but Arch ing meeting time on Fridays,” about between students,” he said. sulting company, will sponWells corroborated I think that the best sor testing. It will likely that the school wasn’t way to mitigate your take place on either Fridays aware of any transmisrisk is to have our social disor Saturdays after Jan. 15, sion either. Thomsen said. Junior Craig Bolman is tancing, have masks and then This would likely conalso looking forward to readd a layer of negative tests tinue until it seems safe turning to the hybrid schedevery week or two weeks.” to stop, Wells said. ule. — Brooke Wells Thomsen said the re“I feel like I learn better sponse from parents to that way, when I’m not just the switch has largestaring into a Zoom screen,” ly been supportive. he said. he said. Many parents are worried about Akins prefers the hybrid schedHe also likes to spend time with the pre-Thanksgiving spike in ule to the remote one. The human his friends, even if it’s socially COVID-19 case numbers, and interaction of in-person learning distanced. numbers are likely to continue and the effectiveness of teaching Bolman said that the two weeks rising, he said. in person are factors in his deci- may be too long of a switch to re“There are some parents who sion to return. mote learning when considering feel they are being very careful There are also some positives the time in which test results re(and) not really posing a risk, so to the remote schedule, he added. turn.
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“I get why they did it — in case, you know, anybody who might have been exposed over the break,” he said. Not all students are planning to return to campus for the hybrid schedule. hybrid schedule too busy. “It is a little stressful to go to school every other day,” she said. “I have to rearrange a lot of my sports schedules for the hybrid schedule.” Fesai prefers the remote schedule because of the time to study in between classes and the fewer number of classes per day. “It’s better for me all the way around,” she said. “While I do miss campus, I think that it’s good that we slow down a little bit and catch up on work,” she said. “Also, with cases going up, that can be stressful for a lot of families.” She was tested for COVID-19 on Dec. 2, and is considering returning to campus. Being able to get help from teachers in person instead of through Zoom is a major factor, Fesai said. “It would honestly depend on my schedule at the time,” she said.
TESTING, 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... Students wait to get a COVID-19 test during the school testing day on Dec. 2. Of the 385 tests administered, 384 returned negative. One test was confirmed positive, said Head of School Lee Thomsen to the Country Day community in a Dec. 10 email. PHOTO BY ARIKTA TRIVEDI