The Pros And Cons Of Online Classes

Published by College Raptor Staff

Published on April 10, 2020

Over the past few years, online classes have become

increasingly more popular with students around the globe.
That comes as no surprise when you consider the convenience
that online classes offer. It also comes as no surprise that
people are divided in their opinion of online schools. Some are
all for it, others firmly against. With recent events however, it
may be time to re-evaluate this form of learning. However,
there are pros and cons to online classes.

The coronavirus pandemic and its emphasis on social

distancing have put online classes in the spotlight. With the
highly virulent nature of the coronavirus, many schools have
been shut down completely. For the moment, classes and even
exams are being conducted online. While this is considered a
temporary measure, there are many people who may be
reluctant to return to the classroom. If you are debating
whether or not you should enroll in an online class,
understanding the pros and cons will help you make an
informed decision. The Pros of Online Classes: Increased
Flexibility, More Affordable. Cons of Online Classes: Lack of
Social Interaction, Bad Reputation

Rumours and fear dog Philippine plan for
COVID-19 vaccine drive
MANILA: According to one rumour circulating in the
Philippines, the coronavirus vaccine will allow President
Rodrigo Duterte to kill people at the push of a button.
Elsewhere in the country of 108 million, memories of a dengue
vaccine that has been banned locally are putting people off the
idea of immunisation even before the campaign begins.
"Many kids got sick after receiving that vaccine," 62-year-old
Crisanta Alipio said of the ill-fated vaccine against dengue, a
mosquito-borne disease that can be deadly. She said she was
afraid of the novel coronavirus but even more afraid of
vaccination. The Philippines is due to start immunisations next
month despite suffering Southeast Asia's second-worst
outbreak of the coronavirus with more than half a million
infections and more than 10,000 deaths.
But officials acknowledge they have an uphill struggle to
persuade many people to take it, on top of the logistical
difficulties in reaching 2,000 inhabited islands with a
precarious health system in the Southeast Asian archipelago.
"Messaging has to be very concrete and evidence based to
encourage people to receive the vaccines," Health Ministry
under-secretary Rosario Vergeire told Reuters.
"We are assuring Filipinos that whatever vaccines that will be
brought in and provided will go through a stringent process of
regulation."
DENGVAXIA SCARE
Confidence in vaccines was knocked by controversy over
French company Sanofi's Dengvaxia. Rolled out rapidly in 2016
to more than 800,000 children to protect them from dengue -
it was banned after its maker said it could worsen the disease
in people who had not previously been exposed to the
infection. Sanofi has repeatedly said Dengvaxia is safe and
effective and the vaccine has been approved for use by the
United States and European Union.
After that episode, the Philippines fell from one of the top 10
countries for confidence in vaccines to no higher than 70th
place. The number of children who were fully vaccinated fell
from 85 per cent in 2010 to 69 per cent in 2019. To address the
fears, health workers would hold town hall and online
meetings and be given special training on how to answer
questions, said Carlito Galvez, a former army general running
the anti-COVID-19 campaign, told the Senate. The aim is to
inoculate 70 million adults this year.
"BIG PROBLEM"
In parts of the southern Philippines, the big fear is of a state-
sponsored death campaign - not completely far-fetched in a
country where Duterte's drug war has left nearly 6,000 dead
since he took office in 2016. Remote southern regions are the
scene of both communist and Islamist insurgencies.
"Some of the information shared on Facebook and text
messages said the COVID-19 vaccine contained a microchip
which can be controlled remotely by President Duterte, and
once he pushes a button, the person who received the vaccine
will die," said Nasser Alimoda, a government doctor in Lanao
del Sur province.
Everywhere, there is concern over the specific vaccines that
the Philippines plans to use too - particularly over Chinese
company Sinovac Biotech's vaccine, for which one study
showed effectiveness of little more than 50per cent, though
another gave it more than 91 per cent. One opinion poll
showed less than a third of Filipinos were willing to get
inoculated against coronavirus.
"Vaccination programmes will go to waste if people refuse to
get the shots," a former health minister, Esperanza Cabral, told
Reuters. Apasrah Mapupuno, the head of the government's
Lanao del Sur health team, said she had asked dozens of health
workers and others if they would roll up their sleeves for a
COVID-19 vaccines
Not one said 'yes'.
"That is the big problem," Mapupuno said. "How can the
health workers convince the community to get vaccinated if
they themselves are not sold on COVID-19 vaccines?"