Since March 23rd 2020, the end of spring break, students have been attending online school due to quarantine. Covid-19 has become a growing issue in the world today. While first being said that Brentwood students would return to school on April 30th, it has now changed to doing online school for the rest of the year. So, what exactly is going on with this virus?
According to the World Health Organization, Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory System (MERS). Patients diagnosed with Covid-19 experience a mild to severe respiratory illness. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The virus is spread person to person, happening mainly between people who are in close contact of each other from respiratory droplets made when an infected person coughs or sneezes, which are then inhaled by the other person. The New York Times made a very informational 3D simulation to watch how this works. With no current vaccine, the best way to protect yourself is to take preventative actions. These include avoiding close contact with those who are sick, avoiding touching your face, washing your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces that are frequently touched, staying home when sick, and covering coughs or sneezes with a tissue. Also, the New York Times simulation suggests that infected people wearing a mask can be helpful. If people social distance and stay home as much as possible, the virus will be able to clear up a lot faster.
A map of cases of Covid-19 in Missouri.
Covid-19 is showing up all over the world, including Missouri. On Saturday April 11, Dr. Alex Garza reported that the St. Louis region has seen a 26 percent increase in the number of people hospitalized for Covid-19 or a suspected Covid-19 infection since the previous Sunday. According to the New York Times, there have been 7,171 cases of Covid-19 in Missouri. Of these people, 296 have died. On April 3rd Governor Mike Parson issued a statewide stay at home order to begin at 12:01 am on April 6th and remain in place through Friday April 24th. Not too long after, the governor also ordered all public and charter schools to remain closed for the remainder of the school year and continue with distance learning. Then, on April 16th the stay at home order was extended until May 3rd by Governor Parson.
Many residents of Missouri are struggling when it comes to work as well. Missouri lost 20,900 jobs in March, with an unemployment rate jumping from 3.5% to 4.5% between February and March. Thousands more jobs have been cut in April, but those numbers won’t be reflected until the next jobs report in May. As for a cure, the search for a vaccine is still taking place. A St. Louis University Alumnus has donated $750,000 for Covid-19 vaccination research at the university. Things are changing everyday with this virus and new information is constantly being reported.
With the help of social distancing and taking preventative measures, this whole issue can be resolved a lot faster. In the meantime, stay positive at home and relax to avoid getting stressed out. We’re all in this together in the fight against Covid-19.
