As we approach nearly three years of social distancing, mask mandates and Zoom meetings, Americans appear more than ready to leave COVID-19 in the past, an MSN article reported. But the article’s documentation of the low numbers of those receiving the new booster and the concerns these statistics could pose for another surge suggest that the danger of COVID-19 may not be gone from the United States.
In mid-October, both the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration released statements on their websites that endorsed a booster shot for COVID-19 in certain populations. The CDC stated that people who are 65 years and older, as well as those who are over 18 years old and live in a long-term care setting, work or live in high-risk settings and/or have underlying medical conditions, are eligible to get the shot. Some states, such as Colorado, Kentucky and Michigan, are allowing anyone 18 or older to receive the booster shot.
By Lily Cao ‘21
Staff Writer
The pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. has recently been in the spotlight for being the frontrunner in developing a COVID-19 vaccine. During the summer of 2020, Sorcha McCrohan ’21 –– who has long been interested in working in pharmaceuticals, nonprofit organizations and public health initiatives to prevent meningitis –– interned at Pfizer’s New York headquarters as the U.S. Trumenba marketing lead. Trumenba is the meningococcal group B vaccine developed by Pfizer.
After McCrohan’s mother passed away from meningococcal disease when she was 11 years old, McCrohan became determined to raise awareness of infectious diseases through optimal protection via active vaccinations. She became an advocate for the National Meningitis Association at the age of 15 and has since been invited to speak at various pharmaceutical companies and health care symposiums.
According to McCrohan, Pfizer’s Summer Student Worker Program had to transition to a virtual environment due to the pandemic. Because of this, she converted her outside garden into a temporary office space.
Her final research project at Pfizer, which focused on how to increase Trumenba’s branded and unbranded consumer materials’ participatory nature, was presented to Pfizer’s U.S. Pediatric and Vaccines team.
“Working at Pfizer gave me the latitude required to continue to pursue my goal of serving others by helping individuals safeguard their most precious resource: their health. I am grateful for my Pfizer colleagues who mentored me to navigate the global health market and become a part of a pharmaceutical company with a resolute commitment to improving their patients’ lives,” McCrohan said.
