Items

• 2020-03-20

  The Start of a Shutdown

  The date was March 20th, 2020. It was my best friend's birthday. Our friend group was preparing to throw a big party for her with lots of guests and food. We were all so excited for her to turn 18, finally able to vote. We were all also happy to be seniors and were looking forward to graduation and prom. March 20th will be forever cemented in my mind as the day it all went wrong. We found out that "Covid-19" was truly something very serious and our classes became virtual, no more seeing our friends in school. We couldn't have an in person birthday party for our friend, we couldn't hang out either. That day was so pivotal in all of our lives. We didn't know we would be stuck in quarantine for the next six months, we didn't know our graduation and prom would be canceled. We didn't know how much our daily lives would change. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the pre-covid days. Everything seemed so simple then. No major pandemic, no masks, no overfull hospitals. But at the same time, as I reflect, quarantine has changed who I am as a person and has caused a lot of internal reflection and introspection. I feel like having to only see your family for six months makes you a better problem solver because you have to stay in the house and figure the issues out instead of going out and trying to brush it off. Overall, Covid is horrible and has caused so much loss. However, we need to also see the somehow positives that have come from this awful situation.
• 
  2020-05-15

  Why Covid-19 is a Social Justice Issue

  From the article: People are like gardens: they require the right seeds to be planted, watered and nurtured in order to grow, but if neglected, will never produce the full harvest of their potential. For decades, Black people have been starved of the investments, the systems of care and quality environments that are needed for sustained, healthy growth and development as a people. For even a rose, as the writer Nikki Giovanni reminds us, can bloom from the concrete, if we give it the resources, care and love it deserves.
• 
  2020-07-29

  An Interesting End to High School

  Everyone wonders what their senior year of high school will be like. After three years of studying and planning for college, students look forward to a relaxed final year typically filled with senior trips, dances, movie nights, and graduation. Though I was lucky to have a few normal months, once March 13th passed everything changed. We were told that it was only supposed to be two weeks but then two weeks turned into 3 months, which meant no Prom, senior trip, or movie night. Obviously, missing these is not terrible compared to the tragedies that have happened, but it is still sad to miss out on these traditions. Many high schools decided to hold virtual graduations, so at least they would have some type of ceremony. Since my high school class was so small, my school was able to hold a small socially distanced graduation outside. Some precautions they took were placing six feet apart, everyone had to wear a mask, and each student were only allowed to have two guests. They also hosted it in the middle of the summer since cases in my community had decreased so significantly. This was not going to be a regular graduation, but it was better than nothing. It was scorching on the morning of July 29, 2020 when we all sat outside in our bright blue caps and gowns. Everyone was sweating crazy, but nobody complained because it was better than the alternative of a virtual graduation. I went to a Catholic school, so there was usually a mass before the ceremony, but they wanted us to be congregated for the least amount of time as possible. The school decided to include music usually sung in church, so that they could include some form of the faith into the ceremony. Besides that one detail, almost everything else was the same as past graduations. We had graduation speeches from teachers and students who always included “I understand that this hasn’t been a normal senior year”. That became redundant very quickly. Then they called us up to get our diplomas from the bishop. Instead of shaking hands the bishop decided to fist bump everyone, which I thought was funny because how many people can say they did that. They did it to limit contact even though a handshake and fist bump practically cause an equal amount of exposure. After we all received them, the principle said some final remarks and gave us the go to throw our caps. I remember being extremely nervous because I thought I would lose my cap. I had nothing to worry about though because my throw was pretty lousy. Everyone was cheering so excited that finally we had finished high school. Pictures were taken, but everyone stayed within small friend groups, so that not too many people were in contact. My friends and I then celebrated as we used to every day after school and got coffee. This was not the most exciting end to a crazy four year, but it was enough. I will forever remember this experience because in the mist of all the chaos, life felt normal again.
• 
  2020-11-01

  Skiing through Covid-19

  Nobody was prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic as it took the world by storm. In the earliest stages, many people ran into trouble finding things to help them cope with the lack of social interaction. However, as the pandemic progressed and businesses found ways to allow people to do the things they enjoy doing, the circumstances that made the pandemic feel unbearable for months, began to feel the slightest bit bearable. I have played hockey and baseball my whole life so due to the pandemic I found myself bored and at a loss for things to do. I began to play golf and enjoyed it while the warm months lasted but as the temperature dropped the opportunity to play the sport slowly diminished. I have always loved the winters because of the freezing ponds that allowed for outdoor hockey. However, this winter proved to be unusually warm for western New York and I was at a loss for things to do. After doing some research and browsing some community group posts, I found that many people were using skiing to help them get outside during the odd times. I had never been skiing before but with my experience on skates in the hockey rink I decided I would give skiing a chance. After a few phone calls to some close friends, I had borrowed enough stuff to be able to get out on the mountain. Luckily, skiing proved to be very similar to skating and my skills improved rapidly. The first night out was enough to get me hooked and I began skiing regularly. Of course, masks and social distancing were required but skiing provided an outlet for my family and me. We began skiing regularly and I looked forward to it every day we were unable to go. Before I knew it, I was completely in love with skiing. It provided a social environment when it wasn’t readily available, it provided a way to get outside apart from the usual walk around the block and lastly, it provided a way to spend time with my family outside the walls of the house. Without a few generous friends and some curiosity, skiing would’ve never been an option, it will forever be a huge part of my life and I don’t think that would’ve been possible without Covid-19. I hope others found ways to improve not only their health but also a hobby that made them happy as well.
• 
  2000-02-15

  Black Masks

  I was looking at pictures from a year ago, and I see one from when I first evacuated my college campus. I was on my flight back home, the look on my face was clearly upset—but what stands out to me more is that I wasn’t wearing a mask. It’s blurry when I try to think back on details, but I guess at the time, mask wearing wasn’t yet mainstream. When exactly did that happen? I don’t really remember specific dates—does anyone anymore?--, maybe it was on a Someday or Blursday. All I know is that day, I was in the airport and on an airplane, breathing in other people’s air with no filtration. But about as soon as my previous statement became something to cringe at, it occurred to me that, “If this how it has to be for a while, I should at least make the best of it.” I wish I were referring to learning to bake bread or even watching Tiger King, but no, no, nothing that productive. Instead, I just retail-therapied the heck out of this new necessary accessory. If wearing a face mask meant I would be safer, I might as well find some pretty ones and enjoy this chance to hide my face behind some artsy patterns. Rumor had it they would be around for “a while” anyways. So, I called them an investment and spent too much time scrolling through Etsy shops. Those guys were on it! First, I ordered at least five masks off of in patterns with colors I liked or wore often, or the purple in my hair. They were nice, but the thrill wore off. That was the hardcore “stay at home stage,” so there wasn’t much need for them. Then I returned to school, glorious to be back mostly, but also to actually show my investments the light of day, while it was still seldom, in the first two weeks. Then something shifted. It was perhaps in sync with when I got the coronavirus. It was lonely. It was just me on the covid floor of my college, and a bunch of standard blue surgical masks. Believe me, I’m not trying to get pity, especially when I realized how I am of the luckier ones. But it did give me a new look on the not-so-novel (at least to me, now) virus. At that time, I wondered why I never “invested” in any neutral or plain masks, especially with it being such a generally somber time and all. The next time I was out shopping, I picked up the very first black mask I saw. Eventually I’d usually lose it, since I wore it out so much, so then I’d just do it all over again. My next “investment” was somewhere in the middle. A multi-pack or solid masks in five colors. I could probably count on one hand how many times I actually wore these. I was trying to bring back some color, but my heart wasn’t in it. They remained untouched. Instead, I started opting for the disposable masks my mom had found. That was when I learned that they make them in black. More recently, I ordered another set of solid masks. Three of the same, all in one color, just plain black. I’ve managed to keep track of all three for a while now. On especially good days, I might break out a brighter ones. But today is just regular, and I’m wearing a black mask as I type. I’ve noticed recently that many others seem to prefer a black mask too. I can’t help but think it’s representing a collective sorrow, or individual jadedness like myself. Maybe they just like the color black and all the social-distancing is just making me overanalyze the mere presence of others and their face masks. This is cliché, but I really am longing for the day we can see each other smile again.
• 
  2020-06

  covid is the worst

  Over the years my favorite part of life was hanging with people and saying hello and being with them. this could be walking driving or anything else that be a fun time. But due to COVID-19 meeting with people is not the smartest move. This did not hurt my friendships with my friends because most of my friends talk online and play video games online as well. So, my friends and I did not struggle in our relationship. the hardest struggle this pandemic had on me would be my relationship with my grandmother. She lives in a nursing home and knowing anything that the news has said is that nursing homes have been in lock downs. These lock downs are helpful for the residents that live in them but it has been almost a year since I have seen my grandmother. She has been alone for most of it due to her building having lots of cases she had to be in her room by herself for months. This strain of not being able to see her is not the best that came out of this and I worry for her all the time, but she is an iron will lady so I know she will be fine. The other relationships that have been hurt due to COVID-19 would be in the same house with my parents and sister. There is no doubt that I love my family, but it seems that since me and my sister have been in college, we have found our own ways to live life. It seems that both my sister and I have felt that our family is very pushy and that most of what my mom and dad do is still treating us as kids. this is due to our close quarters having but heads all the time. If there is an issue on someone doing something different chaos would erupt. It seems that both my sister and I are on the same page, but my parents are not really. Either on what we can do in or outside the house. So mainly what this pandemic has done for me is to put some tension on my relationships with my family but has left my friendships with normalcy. This pandemic is not welcomed and I would wish that it would go away but it seems that it is staying a little longer.
• 
  2020-01

  Fortune Teller

  Towards the end of 2019 if some sort of fortune teller warned me that the COVID-19 pandemic was on its way and the faces of the world would become covered with masks indefinitely, I would tell them that they are crazy. The spring semester was picking up and the coronavirus had become public news in China for a month or two. One of my closest friends Zach was very interested in Chinese politics and current events. Ever since the first cases were being reported he had warned me that the world was going to change. (He was that fortune teller figure.) I remember us taking a trip to Aldi’s so he could stock up on the regular number of weekly groceries. However, he had quite a few cans and non-perishable goods in his cart. He told me he was stocking up for the lockdown that was about to come. Today he’s known as the man who saw it coming all along. After that night my fear of the unknown began to grow. I began telling my friends/classmates at Duquesne casually saying the word “coronavirus.” They thought I made it up or it was a prank. I explained to them that this outbreak may hit the U.S and affect the entire world. Classes were still in session but as cases started rising in the U.S, the fear of school closing became closer to a reality. Fast-forward to the first couple days of lockdown. I was becoming extremely overwhelmed adjusting to a new format of learning. I wanted nothing more than to see my friends and have them tell me that everything was going to be okay face to face. The days started merging together and my sense of time was gone. I tried my best to look for the positives but there really are none when the entire world is faced with a potentially life-threatening illness. As months started passing by, I had started to realize that the only thing that would keep me going is patience and a good attitude. Even in the current moment I still long to go to concerts or have big group gatherings with friends or family. A habit I started picking up is whenever I would watch movies or tv shows was pointing out that people were not wearing masks. That’s a scary thought knowing that masks have become an external part of our identity. Let’s look at the positives though! I became a lot closer with my best friend by playing Xbox with her. This was one of the only things that I looked forward to, so I played games with her almost every day. I also started playing the piano again after stopping when coming to college. A new hobby I picked up was making meals for my family which was something I found relaxing. I even dyed the front strands of my hair pink from the TikTok trend! All of these hobbies were new beginnings that I don’t think I would’ve initiated if it were not for being in quarantine. As each day goes by, I can only hope that we are closer to “normal” and that the coronavirus can be a thing of the past. I am blessed that my family and friends are in good health and that they stay in good health until the end of the pandemic is in sight.
• 
  2020-11

  Isolation is Lonely

  This past November was the weirdest and hardest time during this pandemic for me. In Early November, I had made new friends with other people on my floor and I had been working as a Nighttime desk aide here at the University. At the start of the month, it was election time and it stressed me out. I was concerned about the election, but I was more concerned with how each candidate would deal with COVID-19. With one candidate promising to make things better, and with the other still not believing science, I became even more worried for the future. To get my mind off the election, my friends and I went out to eat and got Mexican. Little did we know, that within the upcoming weeks that we would get sent home early. Before we got sent home, we discovered a hamster on our floor, after we saw the cage in our communal bathroom. To this day, we never discovered who had a hamster. Other highlights that we had was getting Millie’s ice cream, which for me, was the first time I had ever had Millie’s. On November 14th, my friends and I learned that another one of our friends had contracted COVID-19 and we had all been exposed to it. That same day, all of my friends and I packed up and either went home or went to the Hotel. My first worry was that I was going to be losing my paychecks, as I have bills of my own that I pay, including my credit card, and I did not have a job at home to rely on. My second worry was my family, as I didn’t want to possibly give them COVID-19, as my Dad works in a hospital and is at higher risk. I didn’t want to go home at first, but my Mom wanted me to come home and keep me close. Over the next two weeks, I sat in my bedroom at home, with no human contact and I just had my dog to keep me company. After going home, I had to attend all my classes online, which was a struggle for me, as I have a family of 5 including myself, with 2 younger siblings who are also doing online school. Keeping up with my classes became a lot harder because my Wi-Fi at home didn’t support 3 people being on zoom at the same time almost every day. On Thanksgiving Day, I was finally able to leave my room, as I had shown no signs of COVID-19. I ended up getting tested for COVID-19 and tested negative. I also ended up getting a seasonal job so I didn’t worry about money as much. Overall, the month of November was one of the hardest months for me.
• 
  2021-02-11

  Family is Forever

  COVID-19 has affected me in a way that seemingly everyone has felt in some way. This pandemic has brought my family closer together, physically and emotionally, than ever before. My family is usually the type to cover up our feelings and hide our thoughts with sarcasm, but this pandemic has unleashed all of those hidden feelings. Being stuck in the same house I have been in for the past 21 years has changed how I view family and the time that is spent together. When the pandemic first occurred, we were all devastated and annoyed, just like the rest of the world, that we were instructed to stay in our homes 24/7 and only leave our homes for certain conditions such as essential work, food, and outdoor activities. During the first few weeks we were all getting antsy and annoyed staying inside all together, but we had to come to terms with the fact that were stuck with each other whether we like it or not. We slowly began to play board games, go on outdoor walks, and spend quality time together because we were all that we had. I used to hate having family dinners, being asked a million questions by my parents, fighting over the bathroom with my siblings, playing family game nights, and much more. Over many months of being cooped up in the same house with my whole family, I started to realize that I cherish those moments more than I thought I did. During the past few holidays that occurred during the pandemic; Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and soon to be Easter, it is easy to see that close family should be cherished and held close to our hearts. Not being able to see my cousins and grandparents for these holidays has been a different kind of experience. We always take for granted those times where we get to casually see them or plan gatherings, but now we’re forced to stay distanced to keep everyone safe. My mom has recently said, “We are showing how much we love them by not seeing them”, explaining that we are keeping everyone safe and healthy by not gathering and possibly spreading Covid-19. Looking into the future and the years to come, I hope to keep appreciating the time with family that I will have and look to make the most of situations I am put into. This pandemic has taught me many lessons that I wish to further learn from and value the important thing sin life that we usually take for granted.
• 
  2021-02-07

  3 More Vaccine Differences by State Stories

  Shows the differences in individuals included in vaccine phases in different states. It is important because it lets people see the official categories and who should have been when.
• 
  2021-02-07

  Plan A Reopening Schools and Rights

  This document from North Carolina Association of Educators is explaining the legal facts that educators have in my state when it comes to opening schools fully under Plan A. This document shows what legal protections we have and don't have as a state employee and how COVID-19 is viewed as a public health issue. It is important to note that as of right now most school districts in my state are not on Plan A which is 100% open but instead are either on Plan B or Plan C. Plan B is partially open/ online and Plan C is strictly online. Our governor is encouraging our schools to reopen and is opening more vaccine sites as teachers are next in line for the vaccine. This is important to document because every state is doing so many different things and people's rights vary from state to state.
• 2020-05-15

  "PCSing in the time of COVID-19: Four families share their stories"

  This story follows four military families as they prepare for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. The process is further complicated due to COVID-19 restrictions. Each family shares how they had to adjust routine travel plans; taking into account state-by-state orders as well as trying to navigate schooling for children. While PCS orders are a reality of all military members, during 2020 there were significant changes delivered by the Department of Defense.
• 2021-02-03

  Vaccinated.

  Last night I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID. I feel like it should have been easier than this. I got my first dose of the vaccine at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, which we found out later was a county-run rather than a state-run location. Cardinals Stadium in Glendale is a state site. So the difference amounted to not getting the email about my second appointment for an anxiety-inducing long time. So when a new block opened up at the stadium, I signed up to get my second shot on the 21st day after my first, at the earliest opportunity. My husband’s appointment for his first dose is two days later. We arrived at the stadium, got my appointment number chalked on the windshield, and wove through a maze of cones and banners toward the check-in tents. When we pulled up, the lady checked my number and couldn’t find me. She searched for my birthday and couldn’t find me. She searched by my name and couldn’t find me. She took my ID and walked off to find a supervisor. I stared at my appointment confirmation email on my phone while she did all of this. The supervisor returns and, after asking to look at my email, handed me a clipboard. “We are going to sign you in as a walk-in, which doesn’t even exist right now. We can’t take walk-in rights right now because it’s possible that people with appointments won’t get their short today because our daily inventory is low.” That’s why my husband was not one of the lucky ones that we have heard stories about who got to get their dose early by coming along with someone who had an appointment sooner than them. I filled out the form, the lady made me a new appointment on her tablet, and the confirmation email for an appointment slot one hour before appeared. We turned the truck back on and moved through the second maze to the next set of tents, where they covered the same questions before sending us under the second tent where a younger man gloved up, came around to the passenger door, and quickly injected me. He must have seen that we were younger as we pulled up, even with our masks on, because he said to me, “Alright, I will give you this if when I do you scream, FUCK COVID,” which of course I agreed to. But if you have had the vaccine yet, you know it goes by so quickly that I barely got out the FU.. before he said, “okay, you’re good to go.” A third maze brought us to the line of cars waiting their 15 minutes to see if they have a bad reaction before pulling out and heading back home. I now had my second dose, and my husband has yet to get his first, so we didn’t need the help of the people milling between cars signing up people for second doses who had just gotten their first. We got to the front of the escape line and then were released, maybe a few minutes before the 15 were really up, but we were off. My COVID card is complete. When I got my first dose, the guidance was that 30 days after your second dose is your true “good to go” date because it has had time to take effect, but in the last three weeks, that has been shortened to two weeks. I don’t know if that is smart or accurate, or if, like everything, people want this to hurry along so things can go back to “normal” after we have been at this for a year. But vaccines are still hard to get, kids can’t get it, and we don’t know how long it will be effective, so maybe we shouldn’t get too excited.
• 2021-02-03

  the symtoms of Covid-19

  The symptoms of Covid can very in many different ways, like a fever above 100F. for someone that has covid they could feel exgasting lost in taste and, have trouble breathing, those are the main symptoms of Covid.
• 
  2020

  Glass Microbiology, Luke Jerram

  This glass sculpture was created by an artist from the United Kingdom, commissioned by a “university in America to reflect their current and future research, learning in health, and its focus on solving global challenges.” This item shows how art has been part of the pandemic experience as a teaching tool. The experience of visual art can convey thoughts, emotions, trigger feelings and conversations, and is an important part of exploring and understanding how people are navigating the pandemic. This piece is part of a larger collection of virus sculptures, which have been featured in medical journals, and displayed in museum collections around the world.
• 
  2021-01-07

  THE COLOR OF CORONAVIRUS: COVID-19 DEATHS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE U.S.

  This data sheet looks at the affects of Covid-19 mortality rates by race in North America. They do not interpret the data but the site says the following: We call on state and local health departments to release timely data about COVID-19 deaths with as complete racial and ethnic detail as is possible. As the data reporting improves, so too will our understanding of the devastating impact of this disease. This will inform states and communities about how to direct resources more equitably as well.
• 2021-02-02

  Statistics

  Covid-19 is a highly contagious disease. In just California alone there has been 3.34m reported cases and 41,344 deaths. Worldwide there has been millions of deaths. The most recent spike in covid-19 was from November 20th to January 15th.
• 
  2020-03-16

  9 Biggest Social Justice Issues of 2020

  This advertisement/article discusses nine different social justice issues North America is facing: voting rights, climate justice, healthcare, refugee crisis, racial injustice, income gap, gun violence, hunger, food insecurity, equality and how the Yeshiva University located in New York can help prepare people for the social work that can improve these issues. The article talks about how access to vital treatment during Covid-19 has impacted communities.
• 
  2021-01-29

  Coronaland

  With Carnival parades cancelled, somebody had the bright idea to start the Krewe of House Floats to (a) make up for it and (b) to possibly offer work to unemployed float artisans. The results have gone beyond everyone's wildest imagination with 5,000+ people signing up in New Orleans, surrounding parishes, and around the world. This installation, shows how many people are feeling these days, “Cuckoo from COVID”
• 
  2021-01-29

  Coronaland

  With Carnival parades cancelled, somebody had the bright idea to start the Krewe of House Floats to (a) make up for it and (b) to possibly offer work to unemployed float artisans. The results have gone beyond everyone's wildest imagination with 5,000+ people signing up in New Orleans, surrounding parishes, and around the world. This creation, at 430 Harrison Ave., gives the perspective of the crowd and advises people, “Six Feet when possible Y'All”.
• 2021-02-01

  Statistics

  The statistics of Covid 19 are rather astonishing. Over 3.12 million people across the world have died of the virus. Roughly 10% of the world has had Covid 19 at one time. It is crazy to me that that many people have been affected by it. I don't know anyone that has been affected by it. I don't know how. Everyone I knows life changed through Covid whether it was being trapped at home for months on end, or maybe not being able to go to school, or losing a job. I have gone through some of these personally, but overall nothing bad has happened to me.
• 2021-01-31

  My Second COVID Christmas

  My wife and I just had our second COVID Christmas, this time with my mom's side of the family. Because very few on that side can work remotely, almost everyone has had and survived COVID due to work exposures over the past six months. Until we're able to secure vaccines, I also expect at least some of us will have to endure a second round of illness. Having Christmas in January was a strange experience, much like Baseball in November from 2001. I'm glad we finally got to assemble for a few days, and I appreciated most everyone's responsibility with their conduct. My sister is a nurse and treats the pandemic with too little respect. Although she's potentially outside her immunization period, she still acts as though she's chock full of antibodies capable of defeating every new identified strain. AND, she waited until we'd all been together for a full day to reveal her boyfriend has had COVID symptoms for a few days but refuses to be tested. Beyond the drama and anxiety that inspired, I'm grateful to have seen my grandmother, and I'll be even more grateful to know that she doesn't develop signs or symptoms of illness in the coming days. The lesson I learned from this family function is that I can't trust those closest to me to candidly assess the risks those pose to the rest of us. They can't differentiate between their right to make their own health choices and my right to do the same. My understanding was that we had all been sufficiently careful for several weeks to ensure no one would bring COVID to the Christmas celebration, and I was wrong. My bad. I promise it won't happen again, and I won't attend another family function without being vaccinated first, at least not with my sister or a clear, deliberate, and sworn confirmation that everyone I see has been sufficiently cautious. This entire pandemic at this point for me is a balance between mental and physical health, and it turns out they can't both win.
• 
  2020-01-29

  Love and Loss

  This is a symbolic collage that includes newspaper headlines during the pandemic. It is representative of the ups and downs of the past year. It is important to remember that it can always be worse.
• 
  2021-01-29

  New York COVID-19 nursing home deaths may have been undercounted by as much as 50%, attorney general says

  The New York Attorney General says that the official number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes maybe 50% below the actual number. However, the state's Health Commissioner disputes this claim saying that death statistics are determined by the location of death. Therefore, any nursing home resident that dies in the hospital is counted as a hospital death instead of a nursing home death. There has also been an investigation launched against several nursing homes that are sided to have violated COVID-19 protocols.
• 
  2021-01-25

  "The Pandemic Is Finally Softening. Will That Last?" - The Atlantic

  This Atlantic Monthly article, written by Robinson Meyer, details the race to vaccinate millions of Americans in the face of loosening mitigation efforts, new COVID-19 strains, and supply bottlenecks. According to Meyer, with the advent of several COVID-19 vaccines, some states and municipal governments across the country have loosened their quarantine restrictions in the belief that vaccination and lower death rates make lockdowns unnecessary. This is not true, and this loosening of restrictions may precipitate further surges in COVID-19 cases, especially as new strains from the UK and South Africa become endemic. Fewer vaccine doses will be delivered by Pfizer, due to an agreement signed by the Trump administration.
• 2020-01-28

  COVID Testing Troubles

  I needed to submit a negative COVID test in order to go back to my apartment, so I went to a free drive-thru COVID test at my local community college. The lines were long, but surprisingly quick. However, I was surprised that I was not given a straw to spit my saliva into the tube with. In my previous COVID tests at my college, a straw was given. I had a bunch of saliva saved up in my mouth in anticipation, but I when I got my tube, I spit saliva on everything but the tube. My pants were drenched in my own spit, it was nasty. It was also kind of hard and awkward to drive through the line and spit at the same time. However, I was really impressed at how fast and efficient the testing process was. I ran into another issue later, when I got my test results via text but not through my official patient portal. I had to wait on call for around 20 minutes to request that my results be uploaded so that I could send proof of a PCR COVID test to my university. Despite these mild hiccups, I encourage people to get tested regularly if they think they have been in contact, or have symptoms.
• 2020-12-25

  Christmas 2020

  This years Christmas was very different. Because of the pandemic, my family and I could not travel we stayed at home and had a small family Christmas. We went to the beach because we live somewhere were it is always warm. I got to go surfing. We then had a family zoom with our family who lives in New York who we would regularly have been with. Overall I like change and had a great 2020 Christmas!
• 
  2021-01-27

  Vaccination does not depend on residency status

  I've been afraid to ask this question. Can you get a vaccine if you're not a U.S. resident? My mother-in-law has been more or less stuck here since last February. She came from Peru to help watch our 2 year old and planned to stay 6 months, per her visa allowance. WIth COVID, we applied for an extension, and we haven't had an update on her application yet. I do want her to get vaccinated before she goes home, and this information on the Maricopa County website is reassuring that she'll be allowed to get one before she goes home.
• 2021-01-26

  we miss our family members

  COVID 19 has taken many lives that should not of been taken. all were very sad but we have to move on the death toll of covid will just keep going until the vaccine is spread out to the world. you can't stop it for now it has to run its corse but to prevent it wear a mask and social distance!
• 2020-03-13

  My Thoughts on The Virus

  I have read many statistics and learned much about this virus and I have come to a conclusion that it is dangerous and what doctors have been saying since the start is totally correct, I heard that it won't stop until almost everyone on earth has gotten it, and that is slowly becoming a reality, but i also heard that the mortality rate will remain at 1% no matter what which has also shown to be true. The one thing that bothers me though is that scientists said it could last up to 2 years, which is starting to sound realistic and not extremely exaggerated. My final thoughts in this virus are that we should all do our best to stay safe and listen to doctors.
• 2021-01-26

  The Costs of Covid

  This global pandemic hit my mom and my brother. My mom actually did not know that she had Covid. The only reason that she found out was because she went in to get her blood drawn and had the Covid antibodies. When she found that out she tried to go back and trace when she could've had it. With some deep thinking she pinpointed a certain week, in early August. That week she was having a sore throat and her nose was running. They weren't severe symptoms, so she never went to get a test. She just rested and it passed. My 25 year old brother on the other hand had a lot more symptoms than her. So he went in to get tested and came back with a positive test. He experienced chills, loss of taste and smell, coughing, congestion, and headaches. He recovered from those symptoms with lots of rest and fluids, and now is back to his normal self. I’m very thankful that my loved ones have gotten through Covid, and are now back to full health.
• 2021-01-26

  COVID-19 statistics around the world

  During COVID-19, there have been 100,639,974 cases and 2,161,057 deaths around the world. In Ventura County, there have been 67,223 cases and 543 deaths. During COVID-19, everything has changed from how we live to what we do now. We haven't fully gotten through it, but I hope we will soon.
• 2021-01-26

  Final thoughts

  With 100 million cases world wide and over 2 million deaths so far, I've barely had any encounters with covid. We have a night nurse come over and she tested positive but made a quick recovery. I don't know anyone else personally that had contracted covid or died from it. It has pretty much been an uneventful year for me.
• 2021-01-26

  Covid Statistics

  As of today, 99.9 million people have tested positive for Covid-19... out of those people, 55.2 people have fully recovered, and 2.15 million have died. That means that currently there are 42.65 million people worldwide with Covid-19. Its mind blowing to know people are still refusing to wear a face covering and practice good hygiene. Even if you're not worried about your loved ones, you never know what the person you passed in the grocery store could be going through. In California alone there has been 3.21 million cases reported and 37,999 dead. About 6,000 people are saying goodbye to their innocent loved ones per day in the United States, and approximately 106,715 per day worldwide.
• 2021-01-26

  Final Thoughts and Statistics of COVID

  Corona Virus statistics show that up until we had the vaccine the number of people who had it increased day to day and once the vaccine was released the amount of people affected has gone down. I have not personally been affected by corona virus except by having a couple friends and a teacher who had it. I was near those people and had to stay home for ten days due to the exposure. Some things I have enjoyed in this Covid season are being able to have tons of free time to do whatever I want, such as redecorating my bedroom and invest and watch the stocks from day to day, but also having too much free time is not fun when you have nothing to do. I have also experienced having to stay overly clean washing my hands every twenty minutes and wearing a mask out in public which are definitely things that I have not enjoyed. This has been a very eventful year with Corona Virus.
• 2021-01-26

  COVID Satistics

  COVID 19 has been horrible for all of us. Many people have been lost and many families have been affected. According to Statista since January 25, 2021, over 25.1 million people have been affected by the coronavirus across the United States. California, New York, Florida, and Houston are the states that are reporting the highest numbers. Since January 25, California has the leading number of cases at 3,168,528, then Texas with 2,250,421, right behind is Florida with 1,649,449, and lastly New York with 1,335,695. In total, these four states add up to 8,404,093 cases out of 25 million. After a year of experiencing this horrific disease, I am very happy that there is finally a vaccine. My uncle works in the emergency department of a hospital so he could be getting exposed to people with COVID daily. Since there is now a vaccine I am not as worried when he leaves to work. Because he is a health official he has already gotten the vaccine and luckily had no side effects. A couple of weeks later my grandma got the vaccine because she is high risk and fortunately she is not experiencing any side effects either. Now that everything is calming down and COVID is becoming a new norm like the Flu, I have learned many things throughout this pandemic. Although the pandemic was horrible for everyone including my family, it helped give me a wake-up call. I realized that every day is not guaranteed. You can do everything right but still, end up hurt or even worse dead. Throughout this pandemic, I have made a promise to myself that I will work harder for the things I want, spend more time with my family, and cherish the moments I am given.
• 2021-01-26

  Statistics about Covid

  The internet says there was been 99.9 million cases and 2.15 million deaths globally. But in the US the was been 25.3M cases and 421K deaths. I personally don't trust the Covid death count completely because there has been a lot of rumors that they are counting people who die from heart attacks and things like that to the count of the Covid death count. I am not sure why, but I have heard that the more covid deaths counted the more money the doctors get. My life through the pandemic was weird. I got a lot of time on my hands to workout and train for football and bulk up, but on there other hand school is so much harder for me. Everybody else loves because they can cheat, but my mom would kill me ( if I got caught ).
• 2021-01-24

  My Experience with the statistics.

  The only statistic about COVID-19 that I know is that it's survival rate is over 99.9%. I personally feel that I cannot trust this, or any other statistic provided by anyone due to the lies about causes of deaths, cover ups about causes of deaths, and blinds eyes turned by political figures. I believe that at this point nothing about the matter can be trusted do to the political roots that have been planted inside the entire pandemic. I have known people to get COVID-19 and haven't known anyone who has died from it but I still will likely never know the truth about any stat or fact about this virus.
• 2021-01-26

  Statistics with COVID

  Living in California during the pandemic was a struggle. With how big the population is and the governor, the entire thing was a mess. First off corona itself took over California with how greatly populated the state was but, our current governor used statistics in a way to shut the state down not in the right way and could not prove what science he was using to shut the state down so, he has to open up the state again since he could not prove any of his statistics.
• 
  2021-01-25

  Biden keeps COVID-19 travel restrictions for Europe and Brazil, adds South Africa

  New travel bans. In reference to new strains discovered in South Africa and England.
• 2021-01-26

  Covid-19 Final Thoughts

  Covid-19 was a very scary pandemic. There has been people doing to the hospital to get medications and even people dying. As of January 25, 2021, in Ventura county, there has been 525 deaths that are people 18 years old and up. In a week, there're +13,593 new cases in Ventura County. There is so much deaths in Ventura County because of Covid-19. There was 26 deaths on January 20, 2021. There has been a lot of people in the hospitals and I think there has been no room for some people.
• 2021-01-26

  Thoughts on COVID

  As we reach the 10th month of the pandemic, it's important to know where we are at. The statsics of COVID right now, for the USA, are a total of 25.3 million cases and 421 thousand deaths. It might not seem like much compared to the population, but it sure is. I haven't had any close friends or family that have contracted COVID, but it seems that the effect it has is different for everyone. My final thoughts on COVID has both made us learn many things and at the same time, it has it's bad things. We've learned and had a bunch of experiences thoughout these 10 months, and I soon hope that this all would be over. Whenever I think about all the precautions and stuff we do during COVID sometimes makes me laugh. Not that any of this is funny, but we aren't used to this, and it feels like we are too careful.
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  2021-01-26

  Wealthy couple chartered a plane to the Yukon, took vaccines doses meant for Indigenous elders, authorities said

  A wealthy couple from Vancouver, Canada flew to a remote indigenous community in the Yukon to get the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Yukon community was deemed a priority community for the vaccine due to the remoteness as well as the high number of elderly and high-risk residents. The members of the community are unhappy about the couple's actions and wish to see them punished.
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  2021-01-25

  Vaccine Localism Defines Who Belongs

  This article says the NH state government has changed its policy to define NH residents for vaccine purposes as NOT including second home owners, non-resident landlords, and other non-full-time residents. This matches policy in Vermont and Maine, both of which have cited vaccine scarcity as a reason to prioritize their own full-time residents (and presumably voters). Who "belongs" has been a hot question in New Hampshire since long before the Coronavirus emerged, but Covid-19 has emphasized existing fault lines. Lots of people with second homes moved more full-time to New Hampshire starting in March 2020, escaping areas with higher infection rates but being perceived as virus vectors by locals, particularly in areas that usually only see tourists in the summer. Vaccine scarcity has created an us against them mentality. NH is prioritizing those most at risk of death - which means those in nursing homes and congregate care facilities (did anyone know that word prior to coronavirus?) and first responders, but in the state with the 4th largest elderly population, that leaves a lot of people over 65 and living at home as second in line. The Governor had already put ski patrol in the list of first responders (so ski areas could open), so letting second home owners get vaccinated seemed to again prioritize those with more money over those more at risk. Little of any of this affects me directly - I'm already in a lower vaccine category due to being younger and healthier than the state average. But in a state where 21 years residence still marks you as an outsider since your family is not from NH, the increased "localism" feels potentially dangerous. While prioritizing full-time residents make sense to me, what will be the next line drawn and will I be okay with that one? How do existing biases in NH affect our vision of "who belongs"?
• 2021-01-25

  Covid final thoughts

  as of current, there are 25,374,301 cases and 423,611 deaths from over the past year. I think that covid-19 is pretty scary at points, but for a good portion of people, they don't care at all for the self-health.
• 
  2021-01-24

  Wearing Me Out

  I am a contrarian. When the culture seems to be telling me to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and beaches (I'm on the coast of Florida) I always did the opposite. I was a shut-in for my entire life and had always disliked being adventurous, open, courageous. Probably, I was just anxious and scared. I was just beginning to open up at the beginning of the year and when COVID became the prime news and media and the culture seemed to flip and become about isolation and shutting-in... I snapped. I said no, I won't. I won't stay inside any longer. I won't isolate myself from others. I started taking better care of myself, doing yoga on the beach, watching my diet, working out daily, threw out half my wardrobe, and bought these boots. I put myself out there and met many people that changed my life for the better. I am now adventurous, courageous, forthcoming, and open to new people and experiences and, in my opinion, it is all thanks to the quarantine and shut-down. I did contract COVID and did isolate with my family who all also caught it (my mother brought it home from work, where they all wear masks). These boots carried me through this year and have made me feel confident in myself and what I can do for the first time in a long time.
• 
  2020-12-10

  Baby born to Sacramento mother in ICU, on ventilator with COVID-19

  A pregnant mother, and nurse, living in Sacramento, California contracts COVID-19 in her seventh month of pregnancy and delivers her third child. This news article captures some of the emotional struggles she went through from being diagnosed while pregnant and delivering her child. Through this woman’s story, we gain some insight into a mother’s experience of both being sick with COVID-19 and delivering a child during the pandemic.
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  2020-09-10

  Mental Health Care Was Severely Inequitable, Then Came the Coronavirus Crisis

  This article describes how the Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the mental health disparity in the United States. As the title suggests, those suffering from mental illness already did not receive equitable treatment; the pandemic has widened this inequality through a variety of issues, chiefly, disruption of service that was already minimal.
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  2020-12-17

  SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Marine Recruits during Quarantine

  This is an academic article that discusses the transmission of Covid-19 among Marine recruits in quarantine. Due to the pandemic, recruits have been forced to quarantine before they were able to begin their basic training. Marines were sent to a college campus where they practiced social distancing for two weeks before going to training. This study shows the effectiveness of quarantining, social distancing, and mask-wearing
• 2021-01-24

  Why Are There Different Forms of the Vaccine?

  There are a couple of reasons as to why there are different forms of not only the COVID-19 vaccine but of vaccines in general. This is because not much is understood about the COVID-19 virus, so there are multiple vaccines in trial or tested in order to provide as much of a range of protection as possible The two main vaccines use mRNA, which is still relatively new but effective, but the vector vaccines have been used since the 1970s to treat viral diseases Bibliography: CDC. 2020. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 11, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fvaccines%2Fabout-vaccines%2Fhow-they-work.html. “Covid-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions.” 2021. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021. https://www.nejm.org/covid-vaccine/faq?cid=DM108101_&bid=351587577.