In early 2019, life changed for people as we know it. Starting with a minor cough for some, it transformed into a life-threatening disease that killed thousands. In this article, we will be traveling back to 2019-2020 to take a look back at life during the peak of Covid-19.
Beginning in 2019, a virus was identified that was titled the “coronavirus.” Symptoms ranged from a cough to loss of taste, which was found to be permanent for some patients. Towards 2020, it was officially declared as a pandemic. Citizens all around were left with a sense of panic for the unknown about this disease. Later, the conclusion was made that this could be deadly, and health was the number one priority in those trying times.
As students, many aspects of our education were affected. Whether you were just starting your middle school career or ending high school, the impact was still felt. From the beginning, every student that tested positive for covid was quarantined until they tested negative. When the pandemic started to get worse, every student was at home doing their school through virtual classrooms. The negative effects widely increased when this happened for a percent of students, as some found it was hard to focus on their work as they were at home and distracted. Other students saw that online school was a better fit for them, and stuck with it for years to come. FLVS junior Kira Danice speaks about her time in virtual school. “When Covid first started, I was really nervous to start school at home. I sometimes get easily distracted so I was afraid I would start to fall behind. When the first day started and I realized what it was more like, I started to think that keeping it like that would be better for me. So now, I have been doing school from home for about 4 years now and I am very ahead in schooling. I was zoned to go to a high school by my house but I was reluctant to go so I ultimately chose no!” Many kids that are doing virtual learning share similar experiences.
Not only were students affected by the quarantine, but also the working class. Jobs became scarce, and finding money to support families became harder to find. Hundreds of people in the Seminole County area were struggling, with jobs being laid off and teachers having to keep their kids engaged through a screen. The struggles were felt no matter the age.
During this pandemic, people needed to find a way to keep themselves entertained and busy while at home 24 hours a day. One thing that rose to popularity in this era was the app “Tik Tok”. This dancing-centered app entertained millions worldwide. Different trends came about, like different dances, whipped coffee , and arts and crafts projects. SHS junior Hannabrianna Roundtree-Littles said: “During Covid times I spent a lot of time on TikTok and it really helped fill my boredom. We couldn’t leave the house, so it made me feel connected to others while isolated.”
While Covid was a scary time, there was one remarkable achievement made during this period. Scientists have discovered a vaccine that was used to fight off these deadly bacteria. Within a year, the rollout of this vaccine happened, but many still felt hesitant to take this shot. As it was produced at such a fast rate, it left people with concerns. Slowly people got around to the idea, and that is when the virus was found to have slowed its pace.
In this current day and age, covid while shrinking in impact is still around and Covid shots are still available. Be sure to keep clean and make an effort to combat Covid!