This article was written by Claire Xu of Richard Montgomery High School
Wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands regularly: these are the Covid-19 safety guidelines that have been on repeat for the past eight months. Yet even with these regulations in place, the number of new coronavirus cases reported each day in the US only seems to keep increasing. Currently, the number of Covid-19 cases in the US surpasses those of any other country in the world–a whopping 11 million. From Oct. 31 to Nov. 13, the US alone reported nearly 1.7 million new cases, according to the New York Times.
Americans are undoubtedly tired of the pandemic that has uprooted their daily lives ever since the first case was declared back in January and schools were closed in March. “I just want Covid to be over so I can get back to my normal life,” said Siena Mezger, a freshman at Winston Churchill High School. Siena is among other students who had to start their first year of high school online. Many people wish to be able to meet others and go out in public without having to worry about potentially getting infected. However, right now, it is more important than ever to follow the safety guidelines set by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The US is seeing yet another devastating spike in cases as the holiday season approaches. On Nov. 13, a record number of over 180,000 new cases was reported. Hospitalizations have also hit a record high–with more than 68,500 Covid-19 patients nationwide, according to the COVID Tracking Project. Scientists and health officials are rushing to make a miracle vaccine, but the date when it will be available to the public has still not been confirmed. “Could be January, could be later. We don’t know,” Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told JAMA editor Howard Bauchner in an online interview. Vaccine or not, the virus certainly will not be going away for a while.
The health and safety of Americans is in jeopardy. College students, among other people, are returning home for the holidays. They may carry the virus back to their families and infect others on the way there. Additionally, the flu season has also arrived, bringing with it another virus that can cause death if left untreated. “We’re going to see an unprecedented surge of cases following Thanksgiving this year, and if people don’t learn from Thanksgiving, we’re going to see it after Christmas as well,” Dr James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington Hospital, told CNN.
Although Maryland is one of the lesser affected states, it is still dealing with a large number of cases. In response to the possible risk of transmission during the Thanksgiving holiday, the Montgomery County Board of Health “ordered all K-12 schools to close for two weeks beginning Nov. 23,” according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. All learning will be done virtually to greatly lower the risk of students or teachers getting infected when classes resume.
At this critical juncture, it is important for all Americans to play their part in slowing down the increase in cases. Students can help by spreading awareness, wearing masks when they go to populated areas, and putting a hold on large social gatherings. If every American wore a mask and practiced social distancing, the amount of deaths and cases would be significantly lower. Masks do not only protect others, but the wearer too.
The US, along with the rest of the world, is hard at work trying to stop this pandemic that has spread like wildfire. Coronavirus has claimed over 1.3 million lives worldwide and will continue to do so. Right now, all Americans can do is do their best to stay safe as they endure through this global pandemic.
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