The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic to have officially ended on May 5, 2023. With that, already relaxed rules were lifted, and it started to feel like we were pre-pandemic again. For many it felt like COVID simply did not exist anymore, except for the occasional case we would hear about. However, with many students and faculty recently absent due to sickness, is it just the yearly bug or could it be COVID?
With a recent rise of cases in Massachusetts, the possibility of many being infected but unaware is very likely. The symptoms of COVID-19 have turned into those of a common cold for most people who have been vaccinated and boosted. Additionally, it is most common for cases to rise during the winter and fall season when there is a passing respiratory illness season.
“While you can get COVID-19 any time of the year, there are windows of opportunity in which new strains of the virus can cause widespread infection,” an article by the Cleveland Clinic said. “You’re also now more likely to get COVID-19 again year-over-year like other common circulating illnesses, like the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza (flu).”
However, that’s not to say that the virus is not still dangerous. COVID has always proved an issue for those who are immunocompromised or elderly, and that has been seen with the reported 106 deaths in Massachusetts in the past month.
Additionally, there have been new strands of the virus, and though these have not posed as an extreme threat, similarly to previous mutations, it is difficult for people to fight it off. According to an article by the New York Times, a variant that has been rising in case numbers recently called EG.5 has a “prominent mutation which helps it to evade antibodies developed by the immune system in response to earlier variants and vaccines.”
So what precautions should we be taking? I do not think that COVID-19 should be the top stressor for WA students right now. As it is one of the several viruses that rise during this time of the year, making sure that you are vaccinated for COVID and the flu is extremely important. There was a new COVID vaccine that was released recently, and according to an article by Yale Medicine, this will help fight against the new variants of the virus. I feel that wearing a mask and testing for COVID is a personal decision, if you want to you can, however it should not be mandatory. If you are sick though, staying home to prevent risk to others in the building will be the best way to keep everyone safe.
“You shouldn’t be waking up having a fever, taking Advil, and coming to school because you have a test,” WA nurse Kathy Bourdeau said. “We can work with people to get makeup work done, but your health is the most important thing. […] Take care of yourself, and be cognitive of others and what you’re spreading if you don’t feel well.”
Common symptoms to look for now include, dry cough, congestion or runny nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, sore throat, fever or chills, nausea or vomiting, low energy or fatigue, and loss of taste or smell.
