Given all the somber news I’ve had to share lately, I want to start today with something positive. The city recently launched a photo series profiling local residents and sharing their stories of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. By highlighting all the ways our community members are caring for themselves and each other, we hope to provide a little comfort, hope and inspiration during this challenging time in our city’ history.
Here’s a sample: meet Nazila, who sees the value of finding support for herself so she can support others through her work.
“I’m a licensed marriage and family therapist and am supporting a lot of people through the group practices that I’m a part of. There’s a great need for therapists right now and it’s been challenging. I’ve had to learn to say no. I’ve also recognized that I need more support than usual right now. As a therapist, I need to receive my own help and encouragement so I can continue to support others. I’m finding that through morning meditation, online groups, my own teachers I rely on and my partner is also a great support. He encourages me.
I’ve lived in many different cities and traveled a lot, but one of my favorite places is along Highway 101 where I can take my two dogs out. We live off Cannon and the wooded areas around us are beautiful. There’s always some kind of trail nearby. I feel safe here.
My partner and I both had COVID and both recovered well, but it was so scary. My partner had preexisting conditions and he took longer to recover. The mental struggle of it was not worth it. I know at some point, we got tired and weren’t wearing masks, but don’t let your guard down. Don’t have too much fear, but be concerned enough to take care of yourself. It was scary and not worth getting.
Right now I’m focusing on the positive and feel relaxed. This time has brought me and my partner closer and for us it’s been good. Having the right perspective is the most important.”
You can see other stories on the city’s website. If you would like to share your story of life during COVID-19 and how you are making it through the day, things you’ve found that help you cope and ways you have been able to help others, please email communications@carlsbadca.gov, and we’ll get in touch!
Vaccine update:
Another positive story for today, a second vaccine is on the horizon. Moderna announced promising results from phase three trials earlier this week. Specifically, its vaccine was 94% effective in the trial participants. Pfizer’s vaccine was originally reported to 90% effective, but the company has now completed more testing, which shows it’s 95% effective. Either way, both are well over the 50% threshold established by the CDC. The next step is for the companies to complete their trials and apply for emergency authorization, which could start within days. If everything goes just right, vaccines could start to be given to very specific populations by the end of this year.
To put this in perspective, here is a compilation from The New York Times showing how long it took to develop vaccines for other diseases:
