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Contributor is exactly
Armaan Sharma
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2020-07-06
Harvard announces all classes online for entire school year
Harvard just announced that all their courses will be online for the upcoming school year due to pandemic. This includes all undergrad and graduate courses. Harvard becomes one of the first universities to announce they will be fully online for the year. Other universities may follow suit soon. I found this to be important because Harvard may be the first of many institutions to announce they are going fully online for the year, or at least the fall. I was surprised to see they went online for the entire year, as spring semester is still a long time away. As more universities go this route, a new fold is added to how covid has affected life and history. Unlike any other class before, many students will now have the unique and unknown experience of online higher education from traditionally in person schools. -
2020-07-05
Florida surges to top global hotspot
Florida cases have been surging, and have just passed 200,00. The trajectory of the state is currently on track to be the worst of all US states. Canada, with over 10 million more people, has around half the cases. The state remains mostly open. It seems that a handful of US states have taken over the headlines for worst hotspots. Florida leads these states as the worst of the worst in terms of new cases surging. When comparing Florida to countries with similar or even notably larger populations, the difference is striking. I included this tweet to highlight the reopening vs continued lockdown approaches of Florida and Canada. -
2020-07-05
1/3 of UK report enjoying lockdown, 40% report weight gain
UK social study reports that around one third of people in the country have reported enjoying lockdown. The same study reports that around 40% of adults have reported gaining weight over lockdown. These are some notable social side effects of lockdown. I found this report both amusing and informative, and a good item to include in the archive. With most peoples lives getting more sedentary during lockdown, weight gain is not surprising to see. Adding into this would be general increases in stress also contributing. What i found most interesting is the 1/3 of people enjoying lockdown. Seeing that made me wonder what behaviors and patterns will persist even past covid, such as things like working from home. -
2020-07-05
As summer break wains, will schools open?
As summer break wains and the beginning of the school year approaches, one of the biggest questions is whether schools will reopen. All schools from elementary to graduate schools are deciding on whether to bring back students for in person classes. In the US, cases continue to peal, raising doubts about the safety of in person classes. This topic stood out to me as I am one of the many students awaiting to see what will happen with law schools in the fall. I am waiting to see which schools if any will have in person classes, and basing my plans around that. For the millions of of families with school aged children, this is perhaps the biggest question up in the air. Children and students being at home will have a multitude of effects in many different areas, including parents jobs and price of education and so on. Many people felt confident early in summer that classes would resume, but now doubts are beginning to set in as cases surge. -
2020-07-05
Phoenix Mayor declares crisis as federal government fails to assist
Phoenix Mayor Gallego highlights the city in crisis as corona cases surge. Gallego also notes that her requests for federal assistance have largely been ignored. The Mayor talks about overwhelmed health centers in the state and the lack of tests available. Arizona continues to be a global hotspot for the virus for the past few weeks. As a hometown Phoenician, it saddens me to see my sates role in the pandemic story. Just this week Arizona went back into partial lockdown as ICU's filled up. I want to keep adding Arizona stories to the archive in order to document the poor response here from both the government and public. The state traded in a few weeks of being fully reopened for potentially months of re-lockdown. -
2020-07-05
Spain puts region into lockdown again as cases numbers rise
Spain has decided to put a region in Catalonia back into lockdown as case numbers rise. This area of Spain has a population of over 200,00 people. The decision comes as 60 new cases are recorded in a 24 hour span. This news comes as Spain begins to have a slight uptick in new cases. I entered this tweet into the archive for a few different reasons. The main reason was to highlight the drastic measures some nations are taking in order to fully defeat the virus. It only took 60 new cases in a day for an entire region in Spain to be re-locked down. On the other hand, thousands of new daily cases have yet to be enough for some states to full re-lockdown in the US. Spain has also seen a drastic reduction in daily new cases from their peak a few months ago, and actions like this may point to why they have been successful. -
2020-06-26
First Wave never ended
Here we have discussion on the first a second wave topics. The second wave of covid was supposed to come after the first wave ended, and would perhaps be less intense. However, due to early reopening the first wave never actually ended in the US. I included this tweet because there seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the first and second waves of covid. Many are talking about the second wave hitting the US now as cases spike, but disregard the fact that cases were never began significantly going down. Therefore, we are still in the first wave. Even in my own personal life, people are confused and mixed up about the first and second waves. -
2020-06-25
Daily life changes due to Covid
Here we have a tweet discussing one of the may daily life changes that have taken place since covid and lockdown began. In this case, the user talks about how bus travel has changed since lockdown in Berlin. Bus divers in Berlin are now behind plastic sheets and the front doors of buses are no longer used in order to protect drivers. Many bus drivers have gotten sick and died due to the large public interaction their job has. I wanted to put this into the archive because it is a simple example of how covid has altered society and daily life. Here we have an example of public transportation being altered, likely permanently, in Berlin due to the virus. Between all the headlines and stats are the real life changes everyone sees, and this is one example. I also took note of the fact that Europe is still in their first lockdown, while we here in America are wondering if there will be a second lockdown since the first one has essentially over for weeks. -
2020-06-25
The mask debate rages on in America
This viral tweet presents the pro mask side of the mask debate that is taking place in the US. Many anti mask rallies and protests have taken place in recent days to protest health mandates requiring masks in public to prevent virus spread. On the other hand, many people support the mask mandates and argue the anti maskers are the reason for the spike in cases. Here we have a service employ who is required to wear a mask for her job highlighting that wearing a mask to the grocery store is easier than wearing a mask for eight hours like all service workers must do. I chose to include this tweet because it presents the pro mask side of the mask debate. Unlike other countries, the US has had large anti mask and anti health guidelines protests from those on the right wing who feel their rights are being violated. I felt this was quite a uniquely American thing, and so included it in the archive. -
2020-06-25
Trump shifts from case count to death count and assures no second lockdown
Trump shifts narrative from cases going down to mortality rate dropping as US hits new daily case record. The President also highlights the "economy roaring back" as the nation reopens and notes that "embers will be put out" in regard to flare ups. Trump also highlights that there will be no second lock down in America. I felt this tweet was important mainly for the narrative shift and the no second lockdown decision. I have noticed a new pattern emerge in government discussion of the pandemic in that the narrative has been switched to focusing on the low mortality rate to reconcile with the massive spike in cases. This new tone differs from the previous one which focused on the low case count when the cases were much lower. However, the most important part of the tweet was the assurance of no second lockdown. This has large scale implications for the short and long term future of the pandemic in the US, like the lessened likelihood of future stimulus checks and other federal assistance and the lessened likelihood of national cases dropping anytime soon. -
2020-06-25
European nations where virus first went mainstream nearly cleared as US cases soar
Viral tweet today highlights the differences in cases between EU nations which were greatly hit by virus early on and the US. The days case increases of 190 for Italy, 81 for France, and 330 for Spain draw a stark contrast to America's over 33,000 new cases for today. The virus first drew mainstream attention in the west once it left China and started affecting western nations. Italy in particular was an early poster country for the pandemic, but now seems quaint compared the the United States. I included this tweet because it essentially sums up the current status of the virus globally. European nations are almost clear of the virus due to strict pandemic guidelines. Meanwhile the United States has taken the opposite approach and any hope for the pandemic being over soon is officially gone. What struck me about this tweet was remembering the public reaction when Italy was the center point of the virus, and the denial of the US ever getting that bad. Now the story of the pandemic has shifted dramatically. -
2020-06-25
Arizona becoming case study on how virus curve shoots up
The Washington Post released an article today titled "How Arizona lost control of the epidemic", highlighting the dramatic increase in cases in the state. Governing decisions and lacking health mandates are being pointed to as why the state has become a global hotspot. Cases were quite low early on, as the state participated in the national lockdown. However, as the state as fully reopened cases have skyrocketed. Governor Ducey came out today in a press conference with a notably different attitude than his previous tone of dismissing the spike in cases, declaring the spike in cases unacceptable but declined to provide info on a second lockdown. Arizona's role in the story of this pandemic is becoming clear, and is unfortunately a negative one. I felt as though this article and even just its title describes the current situation in the state. In terms of how the pandemic will be studied, Arizona is currently providing the example of what not to do, as other states and countries provide a more positive example. As an Arizona local this is disturbing to me but not very surprising. -
2020-06-25
Scottsdale night club charged with failing to follow Covid protocols
Popular night clubbing area "Old Town" in Scottsdale has been ordered to follow covid protocols when open to lower spread of the virus. Arizona has been fully open for some time now, including night clubs and bars. One popular night club in Old Town, Riot House, has been charged with a misdemeanor for failing to follow health protocols. Fully open close contact businesses like night clubs and bars have been pointed to as to why Arizona cases have spiked in recent weeks. As a student at Arizona State, i personally frequented Old Town and Riot House as many students do, so to see criminal charges being brought against them caught my eye. Although it is unlikely the owners will face serious legal trouble, it is clear they placed profit over health. Places like Riot House and other nightclubs currently open during the pandemic likely served as super spreader hot spots. These hot spots also likely played a large role in why Arizona is currently a global covid hotspot. I personally know many friends and acquaintances who attended night clubs in Old Town and Mill Ave in the previous weeks who have now tested positive for the virus. -
2020-06-25
Strange crossover between anti mask protests and George Floyd BLM protests
Scottsdale councilman Guy Phillips made national headlines today due to his comments at an anti mask rally in Scottsdale. Phillips parroted the popular BLM phrase and George Floyds dying words "I Can't Breathe" in relation to his feelings on being forced to wear a mask. A portion of Americans around the country and here in Arizona have been expressing disdain for new mandates requiring masks in public to prevent further spread of the virus through protests and gatherings. These new mask mandates come as Covid cases spike here in Arizona and across the nation. I found this tweet and the actions of Phillips here to be especially noteworthy due to the complete misunderstanding of not only the public health recommendations regarding masks but also the core message of BLM protestors. This elected official seems to disregard the dying words of Floyd by mimicking them to express his unwillingness to wear a mask, which, to me, seemed absurd. A big part of this stage of Covid in America is both the "giving up" of trying to flatten the curve by many people and government officials and the "anti health mandates" portion of the public and government officials who have turned the virus into some sort of political debate. Phillips exemplifies the latter, and I felt it necessary to include this example as I felt this is a rather uniquely American phenomenon or thought process. -
2020-06-21
Conflict emerges between protests and public health
As large scale BLM protests have taken place all across the world, the morality of protesting during a global pandemic has often come up. I chose this tweet to submit to the archive because it highlights one of the more extreme reactions to protests during a pandemic in that this user is accusing the protestors of endangering the publics health. However, this is only one side of the argument as many argue fighting for justice takes priority. The fact that this is about protests in Australia also provides an important international and specifically non US element as the overall attitude towards social distancing and government enforcement of health guidelines differs greatly in the US than it does in other nations. -
2020-06-21
Harvard epidemiologist outlines steps still needed to flatten curve and doubts schools US reopening anytime soon.
Once again I felt the importance of this tweet is related to my own state and even my own school. Here we have a leading expert on Covid highlighting the steps needed to flatten the curve (masks, no large indoor gatherings, no reopening early), yet all these steps have been disregarded by my state. For example, Mill Ave, popular clubbing area in Tempe, had clubs fully open, packed with people, and no masks required just last weekend. And of course the state has already fully opened up. The epidemiologist also shares his doubts about schools reopening in the fall and still being safe, but ASU has already committed to being back on campus in the fall, which highlights the seemingly random decision making taking place all across the nation as institutions, states, and business have to decide between public health and economics. -
2020-06-21
NY Gov. Cuomo highlights the success New York has had in flattening their curve due to people following health guidelines
This tweet stood out to me because of the contrast that it had with my state current Covid status. While New York was hit hard early, strict health guidelines have been not only enforced but followed well by the citizens of the state, which has notably flattened their curve. Meanwhile, Arizona was not hit as hard early but has now become a global hotspot for the virus due to lax enforcement of health guidelines, the state opening back up early, and therefore less public following of health and safety guidelines. The two states serve as near opposites of each other in regards to the curve of the virus. -
2020-06-21
Skepticism on China's reporting of cases and overall handling of Covid-19 becomes popular talking point
Here we have a twitter user touting the popular talking point on skepticism regarding China's reporting of cases and handling of the virus. I found a lot of similar sentiments on twitter and felt it important to share this aspect of the online virus discourse to the archive to properly present the many ideas people have. In fact, I have heard similar sentiments not just online but in my own life from people I know personally. China has seen a drastic reduction in new cases, and as such many theories are thought of to explain this, especially due to the fact that the US and other western countries have not had similar success. It also highlights the new tension between global superpowers that the virus has brought up. -
2020-06-21
Thousands of workers at Tyson meat plants around the US test positive for Covid-19 as China suspends some Tyson imports
This tweet from the New York Times to one of its articles tells how poultry imports had been suspended by China. It explores how the US has handled the virus in comparison to China has begun to have significant effects on the meat industry. Thousands of meat plant workers have gotten sick, and many have died, and considering the importance of the meat industry this could lead to significant issues in the meat supply chain or overall US meat production. This tweet not only highlights this issue, but also puts the negative spotlight on a household name brand that nearly everyone is familiar with. I chose this tweet for the archive because it exemplifies the various global domino effects that the virus has caused. This tweet originated from a search of twitter using Tags 6.1.9.1 and using the hashtag #virus the week of June 21, 2020.