Story by Tasia Lundberg (News Writer)
People old and young are sick, schools are closing, the population is slowly declining. Globally 98,090 are confirmed to be infected while there is a total of 3,198 deaths. What is causing this sickness and why? This is no illness coming out of a horror movie, this outbreak is real; It is the Coronavirus.
As of the last article, the epidemic of the Coronavirus has worsened. Even though some may think this virus will not wreak as much havoc, but the first confirmed death has happened to a Californian on The Grand Princess Cruise Ship. These people are currently confined but are heading back to San Francisco. The Grand Princess Cruise ship hosted thousands of people, and all of them were exposed to sixty-two patients who showed the symptoms. This virus may not be as concerning to the students of San Lorenzo Valley and is considered a meme, but the first case of Corona has appeared in Santa Cruz, there are currently two cases in Corona. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom has declared that the State of California in a state of emergency because of this outbreak. The U.S.’s total death toll from this virus has been eleven, while there are one hundred and fifty confirmed cases. Ten out of the eleven deaths have been in the state of Washington while there has only been one in California. The state of Washington is geographically close to California, so it is quite possible that the virus could spread quickly to California.
In this time of the panic, the government has done the minimum to help with the outbreak. For the 2021 budget, the Trump administration’s CDC (Center for Disease Control) funding would be reduced by 16%, and if the virus keeps spreading the way it is that could potentially do more harm than intended. The CDC also failed to update testing guidelines and is not accounting for the global epidemic, so fewer people in the U.S. are being tested for the virus. Fewer than five hundred people in the United States have been tested for the Coronavirus compared to other countries, such as the U.K. and Canada. As for who is in charge of government statements about the virus, Vice President Mike Pence has been put in charge, who spurred the outbreak of H.I.V. in Indiana by cutting Planned Parenthood and refused a clean needle program. While that may seem a little off-putting, Vice President Pence has tried to assure Americans that the risk of contracting the disease is low.
Who exactly is at risk for contracting the Coronavirus? Well, the elderly are and young children. The disease weakens the immune systems and infects the lungs. So its the previous sickness/ health problems that can cause death from the virus. Since the elderly already have weakening bodies the virus speeds it up by assaulting the lungs, like phenomena. Less than 0.5% of patients under 50 have died from the Coronavirus, and the highest mortality rate is 15% for patients over 80. All and all being a young adult during this time may not be as bad as it seems, because you are most likely not to be as badly infected by this virus. Make sure to keep your hands clean and cough into your elbows because some of these daily tasks may prevent you from being infected.
The Claw 