By Keisla Alvira
Humans have dealt with various diseases throughout time and have created vaccines for most of them. Now, there is a new virus that has taken the lives of over 3,000 humans world-wide and there is yet to be any sort of vaccine for it. January 20, 2020, was when the first case of the COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus was reported to be in the United States. Going further back, it has been concluded that the virus first appeared in China around December before the start of the new year. The origins of the newly found virus are unknown, but there are many theories about how it evolved and began infecting humans. Scientists state that the virus may have been contracted by some animal that somehow mutated the virus, which allowed it to pass it on to a human.
To start off, what exactly is the virus and how is it spreading? The COVID-19 isn’t the first time we’ve heard about this kind of virus. Believe it or not, the virus has been around for some time and it has been found that scientists almost had a vaccine for it back in 2016. The Corona Virus comes in different strains that affect the respiratory system in different ways. The strain that is spreading currently is known as SARS-Cov-2 or COVID-19. The virus spreads through human contact and can be contacted through the air by coughing or sneezing. It’s no secret that schools will have to adjust and add some new rules for students to follow in order for them to stay safe while attending school with this virus just around the corner.
For this reason, it is important to know the symptoms and the different ways to help prevent contracting and spreading the virus. Catching the symptoms of the virus early on is difficult, due to symptoms not being noticeable until two weeks after being exposed. However, they are easy to spot afterward because the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of your everyday flu. For example, high fever, coughing, and shortness of breath are all symptoms of the virus and a trip to your doctor should be made just in case. Students who are attending school should keep these symptoms in mind and make sure to stay home if they are experiencing them or have come into contact with anyone with the virus.
Now, how has the school board been helping students? Well, students were given the option to do their school work from home by attending virtually or coming to school. Masks must be worn at all times with the exception of eating and drinking during lunch. There are also sanitary stations placed all around the school with sanitizers and disposable masks. Students must also be six feet away from each other at all times to ensure that nothing can be transmitted from one another. Alec Ramos, a senior said,” my senior year was supposed to be fun, but practically everything got cancelled and I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to walk the stage on my graduation day..” Freshman sports have been cancelled, along with assemblies and anything else that requires a big group of people. This new school year is filled with regulations that require us to wear face masks and clean any desk we touch or sit on. Still, things are slowly going back to normal and places are slowly opening up. All we can do is do our parts to keep each other safe and hope for the best during these uncertain times.
