Page 21 - ATR 5 2020 digital

tomatic. That’s what makes this virus
very hard to control. As many as 40
percent of individuals who are infected
can be asymptomatic and transmit
this disease. So by putting the mask
on, you’re protecting the person next
to you. Unfortunately, unless you have
a high-grade medical mask, you’re not
protecting yourself because the virus is
so small, it can get through the weave.
That’s why physicians and other health
professionals use the higher-grade
masks. So we wear masks to protect
others and limit the spread.”
When Romero opened the floor
for questions, he was asked about a
COVID-19 vaccine. He said there are
currently two vaccines for the virus
being used in the world: One in Russia
and one in China. Besides those two
there are four COVID-19 vaccines that
are currently undergoing clinical trials,
which require four phases of testing.
Furthest along in the process are the
Moderna and Pfizer-Biontech vaccines,
which Romero said are in phase three.
Moderna and Pfizer-Biontech use the
nucleic acid of the virus to make the
vaccine. The Oxford vaccine is in phase
three and uses a spike protein.
“It’s important to understand that
we probably won’t have a lot of vaccine,”
he said. “Our group is discussing and
planning for about 10 million doses to
begin with, and essential workers and
healthcare personnel will be prioritized.”
Romero was also asked if the initial
steps taken to slow the spread of the
virus in March were worth it.
“States like California that did have
a shutdown and then opened up again
have had problems, even with that,” he
answered. “We didn’t have a complete
shutdown. We had limits. And I think
we’ve done OK with that. I don’t think
a complete shutdown would have been
the right answer for us.”
Romero closed his presentation
with, once again, thanking members of
the Arkansas trucking industry for the
invaluable work they have done during
the pandemic.
“Thank you for putting yourselves
in jeopardy to protect us,” he said. ATR

ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 5 2020 Arkansas Trucking 2-3.indd 1 9/30/20 9:02 AM 21