“I want to support the healthcare workers who are fighting the COVID pandemic,” said Lavanya Sharma, a rising high school senior from North Hollywood. As an active member of the community, she saw the devastating effects of the disease around the world and wanted to do something to help. The idea was born when she learned about the COVID-19 research project, which she has since helped curate. Its aim is to inform the public about this pandemic and ways to help. The organization is made up of volunteers. The volunteers include students from Stony Brook University, a rising junior, and Claire, the President of the Asian Students Alliance, a student organization. Claire is responsible for processing all requests for PPE and ensuring that they are delivered on time. She also manages the Makers’ email account, which is used to share resources with previous requestors. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a new strain of COVID-19 a “public health concern,” primarily because of the recent emergence of this virus in South Africa. As a result, the pharmaceutical industry has begun pivoting its efforts to combat the new variant. It is testing higher doses of existing COVID vaccines and designing new ones that anticipate strain mutations. In addition, omicron-specific boosters are being developed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also asked vaccine manufacturers to change the composition of their COVID-19 vaccines. This new vaccine should be more effective against the omicron variant of the virus.
As a rising junior at Stony Brook University, Claire is actively involved in the community. She is also President of the Asian Students Alliance. She works to process and deliver PPE requests. She also manages the Makers’ email account and shares resources with past requestors. The mission of MAKER’S AGAINST COVID19 is to help combat this pandemic. The organization is dedicated to supporting the efforts of healthcare workers in battling this disease. Through its newsletter, the organization informs the public about the pandemic and how they can help. The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines have been showing strong performance against the Delta variant and other known variants. This has led to the pharmaceutical industry pivoting its efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Vaccine makers are testing higher doses of their boosters and designing new ones that anticipate strain mutations. Some manufacturers are also working to develop omicron-specific boosters. The Food and Drug Administration is advising vaccine makers to re-formulate the Covid-19 vaccine so that it provides broader protection against the ever-changing coronavirus. A new version of the vaccine will contain a spike protein called omicron-Ba.4/5 that can be added to existing vaccines. The new vaccine is expected to be available in early to mid-fall 2022.
The three leaders of MAKER’S AGAINST COVID-19 each have an important role to play in the organization. Claire is a rising junior at Stony Brook University and the President of the Asian Students Alliance. She is responsible for processing PPE requests, following them through the delivery process, and managing the organization’s email account. Claire also shares Makers’ resources with previous requestors. Lavanya Sharma, a rising high school senior at North Hollywood High School, contacted the organization after seeing the impact of COVID-19 in her community. She wanted to do something to support the frontline healthcare workers. She started curating the Maker’s for COVID-19 newsletter, aimed at informing the public about the virus and how they can get involved. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked vaccine makers to reformulate the Covid-19 shot, in order to provide better protection against an evolving coronavirus. The new vaccine will contain the same omicron protein as the old one, so it will have a greater chance of preventing the virus from spreading. This bivalent vaccine will be available in early to mid-fall 2022.
The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted healthcare workers all around the world. Because of the lack of available medical supplies, 3D printing has become an important tool in the fight against the virus. The Nation of Makers is working to increase awareness about COVID-19 and the ways that it is impacting our health care workforce. It is currently accepting project proposals. To participate, visit the Makers Lab website. The student leadership of Makers for COVID19 is comprised of diverse individuals. The student volunteers have backgrounds ranging from engineering and design to education and health care. As a rising junior at Stony Brook University, Claire is also president of the Asian Students Alliance. Her main role is to process and follow each PPE request until it is delivered. She also manages the Makers email account and shares information with past requestors. Despite the fact that the existing COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective against the Omicron variant, biotech companies are continuing to develop and market vaccines that will protect against this new virus. The new vaccine, based on two components, is scheduled to be available for human use in early or mid-fall 2022.
This Spanish maker initiative is a result of the generosity and solidarity of makers all over the world. Through this initiative, makers are channeling their solidarity with medical workers and exposed personnel affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Hundreds of companies, individuals, and collectives have supported the initiative. The initiative has sparked new regional channels, based on open source Arduino boards, that are building medical supplies and PPE locally. This new network prioritized personal protective equipment (PPE), which was one of the biggest challenges for Spain’s public health system. More than one million protective face shields have been produced in Spain alone, which is an incredible feat. Now, the Food and Drug Administration is advising vaccine makers to reformulate Covid-19 shots to offer greater protection against evolving coronaviruses. These new vaccines will contain a component of omicron BA.4/5, which is similar to the spike protein found in the original vaccine. The new vaccine should be able to be used as early as mid-fall 2022.