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  2021-02-25

  COVID Statistics

  As of now, there have been roughly 100.17 million COVID cases worldwide. Of those 100 million people that have had COVID, about 2.14 million have died. This means that the death rate of COVID-19 is about 2%. Most people who get the virus have little to no symptoms, and recover quickly. However, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are more likely to develop complications because of COVID (respiratory tract infection). Luckily, everyone I knew who got COVID were pretty healthy. My cousin Michael, who just graduated from UC David and is training with the Marines, contracted COVID and recovered very quickly. My family cancelled our Christmas celebration in Burbank to prevent my 94 year old grandpa from getting COVID. He is definitely in the high-risk category because of his age. I am thankful that no one close to me has died of COVID, and I pray for those who have passed away.
• 2021-01-21

  COVID: A Time of Many Rules

  This is probably the aspect of COVID that has impacted me the most. No one in my family got COVID, and everyone I know that got it recovered very quickly. The first rule that impacted me was the shutting down of schools. I started online school, and it was a blessing and a curse. I loved some aspects of online school, but I still kind of missed in-person school. The second rule that impacted me was the social distancing. Every time I did have social interaction, I needed to stay 6 feet apart from everyone. I would also need to wear a mask every time I was around people. This made going to stores like Vons and Gelsons much more inconvienient. My least favorite rule was the mandatory lock-down. All of my favorite stores and restaurants closed. I wouldn't be able to go anywhere expect for a few places (grocery stores like Vons and Gelsons). Throughout the last year, the new rules and procedures of COVID have impacted me far greater than the virus itself, and hopefully it will stay that way.
• 2021-01-21

  Signs of Covid

  When I first learned about the symptoms of COVID, I didn't really understand what the concern was about. People with COVID would experience fever, aches, chills, loss of taste, soar throat, and sometimes nausea. I just sounded like a flu to me. We don't wear lock everything down for the flu every year, so why should we do all this for COVID? Some time later, I learned that COVID has additional effects on the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. People in those categories would often develop a respiratory tract infection, which can be deadly. On the opposite side of things, most young and healthy people experience little to no symptoms at all. We've been living with COVID for almost a year now, and I've only known a few people who have gotten it. I can't be sure that I've gotten it, but what I do know is that the changes that came with COVID have impacted my life greatly. Hopefully it will all be over soon.
• 2021-01-14

  Virtual Learning

  When I first heard about virtual learning, I thought that it would be great. I would be able to do whatever I wanted during break and in between classes. I could sleep in. The only downside was that I wouldn't see my friends. However, when online school actually started, I quickly discovered that I was seeing my friends more often because school ended earlier. Online school was great. The only obstacle was that sometimes my wifi wouldn't work well. When this happened, I was forced to go down stairs to the dining room, where the router was located. It never affected my grades, and was annoying if anything. Then I learned that we would be going back to school, and I was greatly disappointed. I was even more disappointed when I discovered that school would be completely different. We would have plexiglass in between our desks, and we couldn't even get around the school the usual way. Only certain entrances and exits would be open for use. In years to come, when I'm looking back on my life during COVID, I will have something to be grateful for: Virtual learning.
• 2021-01-11

  COVID-19: Origins

  Perhaps the first thing about COVID was that it was from China. They said people contracted the virus by eating bat guano. It was on almost every news network, and everyone was talking about it. I certainly believed it. Why shouldn't I? And I kept on believing it until a certain point. One day while I was watching Fox News (before they were taken over by liberals), a Chinese woman came on talking about the virus' origins. She claimed that the virus was created by the Chinese communists. Now this was very interesting. It was certainly something they were capable of. The woman said that she fled China after her mother was imprisoned by the government because she was calling out their lies. It seems that China punishes those who expose them, so maybe the woman was telling the truth. I don't know if we'll ever be 100% certain of what caused the virus, but I guess we all have our own theories.
• 2021-01-10

  A COVID Virus Christmas

  Christmas of 2020 is approaching fast. Faster than usually, as this year has seemingly sped by quicker than any year before. Perhaps the first sign of the coming Christmas season is when I open the fridge to find a bottle of Califia brand eggnog. Just as I think that Christmas will be perfectly normal this year, I hear some disappointing news. My cousin Michael is coming home from the Marines... With COVID. This means that I will not be going to my cousins house in Burbank like always, but that I will be spending Christmas at my own house. I don't like the idea of Christmas away from my cousins at all. I have been going to Burbank for Christmas for as long as I can remember. That being said, I can't do anything about my cousin getting COVID. On Christmas Eve, my mom grilled some steaks for dinner that she had gotten from Gelsons market, and we watched Four Christmases and Die Hard. In the morning, I woke up without the usual anticipation and excitement that comes with a typical Christmas morning. I walked down the stairs to discover the presents my parents had ordered online. I opened them, thanked my parents for the wonderful gifts, and started playing the new game I had got: Call of Duty Cold War. The rest of the day seemed like any other, and so did the rest of the week, and rest of the month, and the rest of the year at that. Now it's 2021. Everyone is filled with hope that this year will be far greater than the last, but I seriously doubt it. Especially with the news we all got on Tuesday, January 5th. That said, all we can do is stay positive and keep our heads up. As Winston Churchill once said, "If you're going through hell, keep going."
• 2020-02

  Year 2020

  February 2020. Football season is over. The Kanas City Chiefs just won the super bowl. People are still gathering for parties and get-togethers. I turn on the news - The first thing I saw on the screen was "Corona Virus". I had no idea what that meant. I disregarded it as something irrelevant to the world, but I was dead wrong. I went to school the next day (I'm in 7th grade at the time), and I keep hearing students whispering, "corona virus". At this point I knew something wasn't right. About a month later, I'm sitting in the car, in the driveway with my dad. At this point, I know that the corona virus came from China. I know that it's death rate is very very low, yet people are very very worried. I also know that for me, things are completely normal. I did not know however, that things were about to change. On the radio, I heard the voice of the LA county mayor, "I am issuing a mandatory stay-at-home order. Do not leave your house until further notice." I will never forget the events that took place in year 2020.