Flying With Ebola
Nurse Amber Vinson's Controversial Story
Amber Vinson: "I got OK every time"
Between October 10th and 13th, Amber Vinson visited Cleveland ,Ohio. (Davidson, "Amber Vinson's Flight: An Ebola Nurse and the C.D.C").Vinson flew to Ohio through Frontier Airlines, after she reportedly called the Centers for Disease Control several times asking for permission to fly(Davidson," Amber Vinson's Flight: An Ebola Nurse and the C.D.C") . The CDC reportedly gave Vinson permission to board her flight to Cleveland. Amber Joy Vinson returned to Dallas on October 13th, after calling the CDC asking for permission to fly( Horowitz, "Amber Vinson, Dallas Ebola Patient, Says CDC Gave Her Permission to Fly").Vinson's flight contained 132 people, 105 of the passengers on Vinson's flight were contacted and interviewed by the CDC ( Heinz, "Schools Close, Passengers Monitored After Ebola Nurse's Flight to Dallas"). The passengers who sat near Vinson were monitored by the CDC for 21 days( Heinz, "Schools Close, Passenger's Monitored After Ebola Nurse's Flight to Dallas"). Officials in Ohio closed several schools and dozens of residents were placed under monitoring. Vinson did receive criticism, Mike Rawlings, Dallas's mayor, stated in an interview with a local news station ; " She was being monitored here in Dallas. And if she was being monitored correctly, I think she never should have gotten on that flight". Vinson also received criticism from Tom Frienden, president of the Centers for Disease Control, in a press conference Freiden stated;" She should not have traveled on a commercial airline. The C.D.C. guidance in this setting outlines what is called control movement. This can include a charter plane, a car, but it does not include public transport. We will from this moment ensure that no other individual who is being monitored for exposures undergoes travel in any wag other than controlled movement." Amber Vinson defended her decision to fly in an interview with CNN, saying "I did what I was supposed to do and now you're saying I should not have flow. You know, I checked multiple times before I even left Dallas to see if it was OK to go. She would tell me if I was OK to go or not. And I got OK every single time".
Ebola and Witchcraft
Both the Ebola epidemic of 2014 and The Crucible involve a woman who makes a decision that invokes fear in their community. In the Ebola epidemic of 2014, Amber Vinson decides to travel to Cleveland, Ohio just days after she had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, who died from Ebola. In the Salem Witch Trials, Abigail Williams decides to accuse women in Salem of witchcraft to justify her actions in the woods.
Amber Vinson, and Abigail Williams are publicly criticized for their actions. Amber Vinson is criticized by Tom Frieden, president of the Centers of Disease Control and Dallas' mayor, Mike Rawlings, both of which accuse Vinson of recklessly endangering dozens of people. Williams is criticized and insulted by John Proctor who furiously exclaims;
"How do you call Heaven? Whore! Whore!" (Miller 1088).
The theme in The Crucible I am connecting the Ebola epidemic of 2014 with is; fear causes people in the community to turn their backs on each other. In the Ebola epidemic of 2014, Americans publicly denounced Amber Vinson's decision to fly just days after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, instead of being concerned with her condition. Americans also did not commend Amber Vinson for bravely choosing to treat Thomas Eric Duncan, instead they accused her of not following protocol. In the Salem Witch Trials, Abigail Williams turns on people in her community when she accuses them of witchcraft. Abigail also turns her back on her friends, the girls who ventured into the woods with her by stating; "Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down! "(Miller 1034). Abigail also turns her back on Mary Warren. Mary Warren attempts to denounce Abigail's claims in court but Abigail exclaims; " The wings! Her wings are spreading! Mary please don't don't ! (Miller 1092).
Both women invoke a sense of fear in their community that results in community members turning their backs on one another, this is the theme Amber Vinson's story and The Crucible share.
MLA Citations
CBS Interactive Inc. 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amber-vinson-2nd-dallas-nurse-who-got-ebola-to-be-discharged/
Blinder,Alan "Amber Joy Vinson, Dallas Nurse Treated for Ebola, Is Released From Hospital" The New York Times 28 Oct. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014
The New York Times http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/us/ebola-outbreak-dallas-nurse-amber-joy-vinson.html?_r=0&referrer=
Davidson, Amy."Amber Vinson's Flight: An Ebola Nurse and the C.D.C."
The New Yorker 16 Oct. 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014 http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/amber-vinson-ebola
Heinz, Frank "Schools Close, Passengers Monitored for Ebola After Nurse's Flight to Dallas"
NBCDFW NBC Universal Media LLC 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014 http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/Schools-Close-Passengers-Monitored-for-Ebola-After-Nurse-Amber
Horowitz, Alana."Amber Vinson, Dallas Ebola Patient, Says CDC Gave Her Green Light To Fly" The Huffington Post 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/15/amber-vinson-cdc-ebola_n_5993486.html