In a world filled with uncertainty, a global pandemic now looms over everything anyone thought they knew, and amidst wildfires and hurricanes, COVID-19 has brought the world to a sudden stop. Everyone is plagued with foreign experiences, and preventative measures are now becoming a necessity. Masks and sanitizers have now turned into the social norm. However, for those who have had Covid-19, the experiences have differed in severity.
“So when I had it was before we actually knew what COVID-19 was,” Senior Evan Hestand said. “It was back in November whenever it first started going around and we were still trying to figure out what it was, but to me it felt like kind of like the flu is the best way I can describe it, but just a little bit higher of a fever.”
The symptoms of the virus are different for everyone, and as more and more cases are documented, the severity of COVID-19 varies. While some catch it and are simply inconvenienced by the mild circumstances, there are many that have it worse.
“The up and down kind of symptoms continued for a while, so I went to hospitality and I tested positive,” administrative assistant Laura Blackwell said. “It went downhill fast from there, where I was passing out, and I was nauseous. I didn’t really have a smell or taste, but the things I did taste were terrible so even water tasted really really bad, so I wasn’t eating and I was losing weight. It is very real and for those who think that they’re healthy and that they’re fine, you can never be too careful, I mean it can get really bad even if you’re perfectly healthy.”
The virus is spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing and even talking. Being in close proximity closer than six feet also plays a huge part in spreading COVID-19.
“I got COVID-19 when I was at camp with a bunch of other people and so my symptoms really started out just like a normal little cold,” senior Grace Barr said. “I thought it was because the Saharan dust was blowing through, but then we all started experiencing symptoms like sore throat, high fevers, and coughing, and then they told us that we all probably got exposed to COVID-19.”
Schools are being cautious during the pandemic to ensure student safety, issuing sanitizer and wipes to clean anything they have touched before the bell rings. Sanitizing stations have been placed through the hallways as well, where students can freely use them. Additional measures including full-room sanitizing have been implemented by the custodial staff.
Since school has started back up, I feel that coming to school was the right choice instead of virtual school,” freshman Maddi Farmer said. “I understand more things in class since it’s not just a video and reading stuff; it’s more of actually like being there and getting to hear an explanation in person. But with all of the having to wear a mask all the time and like the sanitary things and stuff like that, I feel like it gets kind of irritating after a certain point.”
