Covid cases in America

Covid-19 also known as the coronavirus has been around in America for a little over 9 months now. The first confirmed case in the United States was filed on January 20th, 2020. America currently has the highest amount of cases, with a whopping 7,000,000 across the country. Along with over 200,000 deaths. Virginia has contributed a lot to those numbers as well. Virginia currently has over 140,000 cases and around 3,000 deaths. 

Covid cases in Fairfax County

Fairfax County isn’t safe from this virus either, with its case number of almost 21,000 and a total death count of 588. FCPS has taken proper precautions due to these stats, such as moving to online school, postponing close contact sports, and requiring masks while taking SATs and other standardized tests.

Introducing Dr. Imad Haddad

I interviewed Dr. Imad Haddad, a Pediatric Intensive Care Doctor who works at the Banner Children’s Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona. He has been practicing for 30 years. He has treated 8 children who have contracted this virus. He told me that most children don’t show the common symptoms of the coronavirus, they usually show signs of severe inflammation after having the virus for a while, which can affect the heart. So this virus is dangerous to pretty much everyone. Certain groups of people are just more susceptible and high risk than others. 

How to avoid contracting the virus

Dr. Haddad explained to me that the best ways to avoid getting this virus are to wash your hands frequently, wear a mask, social distance, avoid poorly ventilated areas, don’t travel by plane, and don’t eat inside restaurants. Some people don’t believe masks will help stop the virus from spreading, although it’s not a guarantee it’ll completely block out the virus, it still decreases the chance to get it significantly. Masks are mostly meant for people who have the virus but don’t know it yet. You can have the virus just not show symptoms. And in order to protect the people around you, it’s definitely best to make sure you have a mask with you wherever you go!

Is going back to school a possibility this year?

To those who are interested in if we’ll be going back to school this year the answer isn’t definite. I asked Dr. Haddad about whether or not in-person school is even a possibility this year. He explained that it’s all up to the positivity rates in our district. The positivity rate is how many people tested positive against the people who tested negative. If the percentage is anywhere above 3%, we most likely won’t be going back to school this year. In his own opinion though, Dr. Haddad says “No, I don’t believe going back to schools completely normally is an option for the near future.”

Will a vaccine help?

A vaccine can take a long time to formulate, and it’s not always a perfect cure. Viruses like Covid-19 can mutate, and become harder to treat. If it mutates enough the vaccine will be useless. If a vaccine is created, before it can be released it needs to have a 50% cure rate. This means 50% of the people who take it have to experience positive effects from it before it can be issued to the public.

Basic safety

Don’t forget to wash your hands and keep them away from your face! If you have a tendency to forget things make sure to keep an extra mask in your car or in your bag. Thank you for reading!