What COVID-19 Has Brought | Shigeko Kureki-Craig'hill, Head of the Nursing Program, Graduate School of Health Management
2021.01.26
10:30 every Saturday morning is family time.
It's 5:30 p.m. in Seattle and San Francisco, 8:30 p.m. in Boston, and 3:30 p.m. in Hawaii. This is when our Zoom chat with family members living far away begins. These chats, which started as a way to check on each other, were suggested by my sister-in-law when the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic began. I wondered if we would have anything to talk about every week, but... we do, we really do. Cousins, nieces, and nephews have started to join in, and we have a great time with what you might call stereotypically loud and chatty American conversations. The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult, but I'm glad we live in an age with a solid IT infrastructure. Thanks to that, we've developed a habit of connecting with family more than ever before.
But today, there was sad news. One of my nephews has been infected with the coronavirus.
A friend of his was suddenly hospitalized. His university classmates gathered at his deathbed, held his hand to say goodbye, and shared their grief together at the funeral a few days later. That was all fine, but afterward, my nephew started to feel unwell. Around the same time, it was discovered that the deceased had been infected with the coronavirus. It seems that both the deathbed gathering and the funeral were perfect environments for the "Three Cs" (closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings).
(Note) Ventilation is said to be important for reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection. The site below uses a theoretical model to calculate safe exposure times and occupancy levels for indoor spaces. It has been translated into several languages, but for some reason, Japanese is not one of them.
The situation in the United States, where 23.6 million people have been infected and 390,000 have already died, is quite tragic. I've seen news reports that burial services can't keep up, with some people being turned away by funeral homes, and that hospital morgues have exceeded their capacity, to the point where refrigerated trucks are being converted for use as temporary morgues. I can only pray that Japan does not end up in such a state.
However, it's frightening that in Japan, with 310,000 infections and 4,204 deaths, there still seems to be little sense of urgency.
After my chat with my family, I went to a vegetable shop in the nearby Yanaka Ginza, and it was packed with tourists. There were even a few people without masks. My favorite shop, "Waguriya," was full, with a long line out front. And this is after the state of emergency was declared... I hurried back home. I'll have to make do with what's in the refrigerator until Monday, when there will be fewer people out. Oh, that's right! There's always Uber Eats... I'm glad we live in such a convenient era (lol).
The COVID-19 pandemic also brought significant changes to the educational environment last year. In particular, the situation where many subjects were taught online was unprecedented. According to a university survey on the actual conditions of student life, many students experienced difficulties such as "less interaction with classmates," "feelings of loneliness," "being unable to keep up with the large amount of information posted on keio.jp," "too many assignments," and "eye strain."
On the other hand, there were also many positive opinions, such as "it's easier to understand than in-person classes," "I can re-watch parts I don't understand over and over," "I can take lectures at the time when I can concentrate best," and "I can use my time more effectively because my commute time has been reduced." Furthermore, there were even opinions from students seeking to make the most of the online format, saying things like, "It has become easier to study fields I'm interested in because lectures from other academic years are available as archives," and "I want to acquire knowledge beyond my own faculty because I can watch a wide range of on-demand classes without being restricted by department."
We should try to see any experience as an opportunity to find a new direction.
Never let a crisis go to waste!