Hot and chilled
WHERE TO FOR THE WORLD ?
S
o , we now have a vaccine , well multiple approved vaccines , but we also have growing opposition to accept it … I find it quite bizarre that the supposed solution to end the global pandemic , being these various vaccines , has experienced such an uphill battle at the start – multitudes of people globally are now in opposition to accepting it , with conspiracy theories expanding to the origins around the virus outbreak itself as well as the statistics around the vaccines ’ efficacy . The light that was supposed to be at the end of the tunnel , still seems so far away .
At the time of publishing , the Department of Health had not yet responded to requests for particular information around the vaccine roll-out , and specifically the Oxford-Astra-Zeneca vaccine which South Africa got a million doses of , with a follow-up delivery of half a million to arrive a month later .
Information then obtained from scientific data suggests that this particular vaccine does not require anything more than a regular fridge , and can also be stored up to six months , while other competitor products require ulta-cold storage temperatures of -70 ° C and can spoil within two days . This selection is good news for South Africa , and the continent generally , as we just do not have a cold chain to sustain the other available vaccines at this time . According to a United Nations report , African countries collectively have but a mere 30 % average readiness to roll out a vaccine on the required scale .
Murmurs are already alluding to that we have overpaid for our first batch – a story for another time . I can only wonder what our roll-out will actually look like , and what our acceptance rate will be .
The development and distribution of a vaccine was supposedly the answer to “ get things back to normal ” – especially on an economic level , but uncertainty for what the future holds remains as people and businesses continue cautiously day to day , not to mention that the success of the planned herd-immunity strategy announced by the President at his last address relies primarily on the willingness of the citizens to participate . The questions that have to be asked : what more do we need to do for the world to get past this pandemic , and will things ever really return to how they were before ? What are your thoughts around the vaccine ? In this issue we carry our regular contributors and some new additions to the Journal – which with the support from industry , will become regular columns too – addressing topics from a different perspective . We also look at some local and international news and trends . Our project in this issue is the Patterson Park Sport and Recreation Centre that offers the community an opportunity not only to participate in various sporting activities , but mind development as well as creativity through arts and crafts . Our feature looks at the application and use of chillers – a technology that has been used for over a century with the first patent being lodged in 1921 .
I trust you ’ ll enjoy this issue and welcome your feedback . If you too would like to participate in RACA Journal with your news , projects , features or technical articles , please get in touch – remember we have print , digital , online , newsletters and social media platforms that we cater to . We are the industry voice , so make use of us .
The quote I selected for this month is just a reminder of where we need to steer ourselves . Too easy it has become to sit back and wait and see , while we should be making the most of every opportunity that presents itself .
" It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them . They went out and happened to things ." – Leonardo da Vinci RACA
Ambient greetings , Ben
www . hvacronline . co . za www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I March 2021
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