Category Archives: COVID-19

COVID-19, Sports

​The effects COVID-19 has had on professional sports

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By: Charles Fragrassi

​COVID-19 has changed all of our lives forever; it changes our daily routines, grocery stores, and sporting events.

The NBA was one of the first major sports organizations to be affected by this; they responded by shutting down completely. After 4 months or so, they resumed play in a “bubble” in Walt Disney World. This was a great solution to COVID as they had zero COVID cases the rest of the season and were able to finished the season.

Major League Baseball was the next sport in season, and they too started their season three months late and had numerous precautions for COVID-19, such as there were to be zero fans in attendance, and teams were set to play against teams that were a certain amount of miles from each other to prevent traveling cross country.

MLB wasn’t as lucky as the NBA, and had people test positive from time to time. Some of the precautions were that they were not allowed to travel with the team and have access to the facilities. In order to get back to playing, they had to not have had a fever for 72 hours, and test negative twice. Although there were a few positive cases from time to time, MLB finished their season with hopes that next season will be back to normal.

As COVID cases grew more and more, there were questions about if the NFL would even have a season. The National Football League defied odds by having a season during the pandemic. Some of the precautions the NFL took were pretty much no handshakes or jersey swaps after the game, which in my opinion made no sense because they were just tackling each other for the past hour.

Players and coaches were also required to wear masks on the sideline and were strongly encouraged to social distance. They also made a requirement that only 62 players were allowed to travel at a time. Also, if any players tested positive, they were immediately placed on the COVID-19 reserve list and weren’t allowed back until it had been 10 days since symptoms first appeared, and they had to be 72 hours symptom free, with two negative tests.

Although there were a few games rescheduled due to COVID, the NFL did a pretty good job and finished the season pretty flawlessly.

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COVID-19

What is herd immunity?

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By: Hayat Osman

Herd immunity is when enough people in a population are immune to a disease that it slows down the spread of the illness.

When a disease such as COVID-19 begins to spread scientists start by looking at the reproduction number, this represents how many people in a susceptible population could catch the virus from a single infected person.

For example, with the measles, one infected person on average would pass the virus to 12-18 other people. With COVID-19, an infected person would likely infect 2-4 other people, furthering the spread of the disease.

When people in a population start becoming immune to a disease, the chances of infecting others goes down making it harder for the virus to spread. The result is the community being protected against diseases as well as those with weak immune systems.

Scientists say herd immunity could be reached two ways: through broad infection or vaccination. To get herd immunity through broad infection the majority of a population would need to get sick from the virus and develop natural defenses such as antibodies to fight the disease.

But this method would be deadly because less than 5% of people worldwide have had COVID-19 and to reach immunity that number would need to be between 60-70%.

Experts say the most efficient way to herd immunity is through vaccination.

Vaccines help produce antibodies which help the immune system recognize diseases, controlling it from further spread. The benefits of reaching herd immunity through vaccination is only having the needed amount of people vaccinated, while broad infection may affect 100% of the population and generations after.

With COVID-19 the number of vaccinations that would be necessary to reach immunity is between 60-70%.

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COVID-19, World

World leaders contracting COVID-19

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By: Aisha Dirie

Over the duration of the pandemic, especially these past few months, world leaders have been contracting COVID-19.

Trump announced that he went into quarantine in early October 2020, after testing positive. This was right before the election, and the second presidential debate, but after the first presidential debate. This caused concern that it had been spread to other people at the debate, especially President-elect Joe Biden. Trump contracting COVID-19 cancelled that upcoming 2nd debate.

People close to Trump also contracted the virus including his family, and Ivanka, and some co-workers.

Trump was also hospitalized for his symptoms of COVID-19, as well as other world leaders who contracted COVID-19, like Boris Johnson.

Another world leader that contracted COVID-19 is Emmanuel Macron, the President of France. After testing positive for COVID-19 in mid December, Macron went into quarantine. Since meetings with other countries, and officials, had happened within recent days of his positive test, other European leaders also went into quarantine.

This diagnosis canceled a planned visit to Lebanon, and other planned events for Macron and other leaders in contact with him. 

Although many major world leaders have caught COVID-19, many have recovered safely, including Trump and Johnson, who were both hospitalized for their symptoms. Along with these major world leaders contracting the virus, others include: the Prime Minister of Russia, the President of Bolivia, the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Poland, and many more, who have all caught COVID-19.

These events just prove how anyone can get COVID-19, and how important it is to take caution. 

The COVID-19 vaccine is also starting to be distributed within these countries. 

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COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccines

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*Note: due to the nature of the vaccine rollout, some information in this article may no longer be current.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is for individuals 16 years of age and older. The common side effects from this vaccine is a pain when it’s injected, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and tiredness. These side effects are experienced after the second dose of the vaccination. 

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine was made public on December 18, 2020. This vaccine​​ is for individuals 18 years or older. This vaccine also comes with side effects that will last for seven days. The common side effects are: tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, swelling, nausea, and fever.

These vaccines won’t be available to regular Americans for some time. The vaccines will be given to front-line workers first (that includes firefighters, police officers, food workers, postal workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, teachers, and daycare workers).

After getting a COVID-19 vaccine, you will not test positive for the COVID-19 test. If you have already had COVID-19, and recovered, you will still need to get the vaccine. 

COVID-19

Mental health and the pandemic

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By: Grace Blumer-Lamotte

Mental health is classified as our emotional, physiological, and social well-being.

The first report of COVID-19 was in Wuhan, China, on December 31st, 2019. The first reported cases in the United States of America were sometime in January, 2020.

The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health. Whether it was beneficial or harmful.

To some people, the pandemic was beneficial to their mental health. I asked 4 people between the age range of 14-46 years old: “How has the pandemic impacted your mental health for the better?”

The 14-year-old answered that the pandemic has been beneficial to their mental health by being away from school and “toxic friends.”

The 16-year-old answered that the pandemic has not been beneficial to their mental health.

The 43-year-old answered that the pandemic impacted their mental health by having “More face time/contact with my immediate family and my kids.”

3 words they used to describe it being beneficial is “less-busy, family-time, and remote-work.”

The 46-year-old also answered that the pandemic impacted their mental health as the “flu-rate has dropped.” 

To other people, the pandemic was harmful to their mental health. The same 4 people answered how the pandemic impacted their mental health for the worse.

The 14-year-old said, “It is difficult not having social interaction.”

The 16-year-old said, “My girlfriend broke up with me. I lost multiple friends. My mental health went downhill.”

The 43-year-old said that the negatives about the pandemic are “Stress and worry about the safety and well-being of my family. Dealing with the unknown is exhausting.”

3 words they used to describe their mental health during the pandemic is that they feel: “isolated, stressed, and unknown.”

According to ‘The Philadelphia Inquirer,’ their crisis line has spiked and hasn’t come down since the pandemic started.

Everyone around the world struggles with something in their life. Whether it’s a mental illness(es), family issues, or abuse of substances. But since the Coronavirus has started, Federal Surveys showed that 40% of Americans are struggling with a mental illness and/or drug-related problem, and 75% of young adults are struggling.

COVID-19, National

When will the U.S. open back up after COVID-19?

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By: Aisha Dirie

Throughout the pandemic there have been many different restrictions, in many different states. These restrictions have been going on since mid-March, when the pandemic first hit.

There are a lot of questions surrounding when certain countries, specifically the U.S., will open back up. This isn’t very clear since the U.S. is spiking in COVID-19 cases as of now. But, many states are implementing stricter mandates.

Although we do not know when the U.S. will open back up officially after COVID-19,  there is a way we can predict around what time the country will open back up. 

According to the New York Times, there are eight states that don’t have a mandatory mask law. Among these eight states, Idaho, Georgia, and Wyoming don’t have mandatory mask mandate as of early December.

Also by the New York Times, 2 out of 50 states have a stay-at-home order or curfew. These two states are California and Ohio.

There are also states being monitored to see if they need to go into lockdown. Even before Thanksgiving break, there were cases of spiking all around the country. In the weeks following Thanksgiving there is expected to be an increase in cases again. This is because of holiday traveling.

There are many clinical trials being done, as stated by the CDC, for a vaccine. Late in November, the CDC put out an article talking about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. We know that we are close, or somewhat close, to the development of an effective vaccine to treat and prevent COVID-19. Late in December is the earliest a vaccine could be widely distributed. There are countless sources about when a vaccine should be out.

Although it’ll be a big breakthrough for developing a COVID-19, the vaccine has to be widely distributed. The vaccines will probably go to the people most at risk, i.e. healthcare workers and the elderly, first. 

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COVID-19

The sprouting of a new beginning

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By: David Meyer

Many schools across the country have had school gardens for a very long time. And with the COVID-19 pandemic that has happened recently, going into schools was not available to most students.

However, one of the few activities that has still been ongoing for many schools is participating in the school gardens. These gardens have been able to provide an outlet for a large number of students while the pandemic has been happening. It’s a way of them to get outside and be productive when many people feel trapped inside their houses all day with not much to do.

A by product of all of these gardens is fresh produce that can go to either the school, the students who help out, or even to food banks. These food banks are ever more in need of food for the people that depend on them, especially fresh and organic fruits and vegetables.

Not only have people been participating in school gardens, but many have also made gardens of their own.

Since, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, the fresh produce had been limited, people have tried to find a way to get their own fresh fruits and vegetables. So, many home gardens have begun to appear. Not only is the food fresh, but it is almost guaranteed to be safe from COVID-19 because it is home-grown.

But, many families also kept on this trend, and many have started to take care of animals as well; for example, chickens in order to have fresh eggs. The sales of baby chicks that will end up producing eggs has skyrocketed, even as many as 10 times the amount before the pandemic are selling.

These, and other ways people are dealing with this pandemic positively, shows the resilience of many to make the best out of a bad situation.

COVID-19, Events

COVID Halloween

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By: Anna Hisle

During COVID, people have kept to themselves. Now, with Halloween approaching, children are getting antsy and are counting down the days until they can trick or treat. But are parents really going to let their kids trick or treat in the midst of a pandemic?

While no one really knows what will happen for Halloween, many neighborhoods and people do have plans.

Trick or treating 

According to “WMUR,” in the state of New Hampshire, along with trick or treating guidelines, each town/city has a specific trick or treating time. So, if you live in Nashua, you would most likely be trick or treating at a different time then someone that lives in Barnstead.

Even if you don’t trick or treat with many people near you, the CDC suspects that the holidays will bring more spread of the virus.

Wear masks even though you’re outside. Even if there’s no people near you while trick or treating, protect yourself from the person you are getting candy from. This also protects them from you.

Wearing your mask while going door to door isn’t just safer, but it will also keep you warm if it’s chilly outside. Your mask will also be a cute accessory in case your costume needs some pizzazz!

Parties/gatherings

While many people usually throw Halloween parties with friends or even just family, you might want to skip this year. If you must throw a party, the smart thing to do would be to limit the number of people attending the party and wear masks at all times.

If you attend, according to the “Centers for Disease Control (CDC),” there are many ways to stay safe while trick or treating:

  • Wear masks at all times
  • Stay socially distanced (at least 6 feet, if not more)
  • It might be chilly, but if possible, stay outside
  • Try to have a shorter gathering (the longer the party, the higher the risk of being exposed)
  • Keep it to very few people! (Many states/cities have a rule about how many people can gather)

There are so many more things you can do to stay safe during this pandemic and holiday season! Make sure that you are researching and do not go to large gatherings or parties unless you take proper precautions.

But honestly, be smart! Don’t throw a party or have a big gathering. Don’t trick or treat unless you stay distanced and wear a mask.

But most importantly, STAY SAFE!

COVID-19, World

COVID-19 and how different countries are handling the it

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By: Aisha Dirie

Many countries are handling this pandemic differently. Many countries are still in lockdown, have certain restrictions, or restrict all travel from or to countries.

The US is still battling this pandemic. Many states still have COVID cases rising.

This pandemic has affected the economy in many different countries.

How different countries are handling this pandemic shows a lot about their leaders, how quickly this virus has spread, and how dangerous COVID-19 truly is. According to Worldometers.info, there are currently around 37 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with the US at the largest number of cases. Following the US is India with the second most cases worldwide.  

According to EndCoronavirus.org, some of the countries that are recovering, or have recovered completely from COVID, are New Zealand, Sudan, and Haiti.

In late March, New Zealand put in a very strict quarantine. This led the country COVID cases to decrease exponentially. This was a good move for the prime minister of New Zealand (Jacinda Ardern) because currently there are only a couple, or almost zero, COVID-19 cases in the country of New Zealand.

Other countries that have gone into strict lockdown have been managing their COVID-19 cases as well. 

Many different countries are handling this pandemic differently. On different scales, levels, seriousness, and population. There is definitely a trend between what countries are doing better than others. Some countries are back to normal life already.

This is different than some countries, including the US, Canada, etc. We are already far enough into this pandemic to recognize why certain countries have failed to reopen.

Time will tell.

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COVID-19, School Life

How COVID-19 has affected students’ education

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By: Leslie Lopez Ibanez and Kayla Arellano

In December of 2020, a virus was discovered in Wuhan, China. The virus slowly went spreading worldwide creating a human pandemic. This virus is called the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and thousands of people have died from it. Some have recovered, but there is no cure for it yet.

To prevent the spread, there have been restrictions that caused all businesses and schools to shut down with only a few businesses open because they were deemed essential.

Now that the schools are closed, teachers are forced to be giving online classes. They are slowly opening everything back up, but still with restrictions, and it’s very difficult because school districts have to get their system approved on how they are going to manage to have all their students in school safely.

COVID-19 has affected student’s education in a couple different ways. Many schools around the U.S. have switched to full time online learning to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to social distance.

Other school’s have chosen to do part time online and part time in school.

Students K-12 are not being able to do face-to-face learning because of the restrictions. A family source informed the authors that because of this, parents are now taking their kids out of public schools to put them in private school because private schools are now open.

But not everyone can afford a private school, and are instead forced into isolation. They also can face depression and anxiety due to always being inside their house and not being able to go to school everyday.

Some students also don’t have equipment that the school provides for them like WiFi, food, and much more. A lot of families can’t afford WiFi, or an everyday meal for their kids, and a lot of students rely on the schools for that. 

Due to the pandemic, and school getting held back, student assignments are getting canceled or postponed. This is affecting students in a negative way because it’s interrupting their learning and they aren’t receiving the education they need.

Studies show that students have lost a large percentage of their learning skills, achievements in math and reading, and overall learning skills. According to brooking.edu, students are now showing low grades and are making less than 50% of educational gains, which may be putting them almost a year behind compared to when they were attending school. 

The class of 2020 graduation was also affected by COVID-19. College students have experienced teaching interruptions in the final parts of their studies. Instead of them graduating on time, they get to graduate at the beginning of a major global recession. As for high schoolers, they didn’t get the graduation they thought they would’ve had. Some schools did virtual graduation and some schools did a graduation ceremony, but having to be 6 feet apart or more without any family or friends being present. 

Many high school graduates have changed their mind about going to college and what they want to study for because of the crisis going on. Some of them are having a delay on college to start, or some of them just have decided to just work and not even go to college anymore. 

Even though all this negative stuff is happening, let’s look on the positive side!

Students are getting the chance for a new learning opportunity. Some people may find online school better for them and might just switch to online school learning from now on. People are also considering this because they find it more affordable and it’s a way to keep yourself socially distanced.

With all of this happening, this also means that there are more online resources for the students. More programs and educational resources are becoming available for students doing online classes.