Oh, to be able to wish our problems away. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus still exists and is still infecting Americans and taking their lives. I believe that it is very naive to say that “only 2 million people” have lost their life to this disease. Families all over the country, nay, the world, have had their loved ones pass, just to be comforted with, “The majority of people who had Covid-19 are still alive.” As if this response could take away the death and terrible experience.

It is no secret, or huge epiphany that everyone’s lives have unwantedly changed due to this infectious virus. To say that masks have not been proven effective for limiting the spread of Covid-19 is spreading false information. Here is a collection of data to prove how much the virus is blocked from wearing a mask. For more clarification, ADM High School in no way prohibits the abandonment of masks and requires them for every school function you attend.

There are new variants of  Coronavirus out, from Europe and even South America which is why two masks have been recommended by the CDC. There is less information on these variants as opposed to the default Covid-19 virus. The reasoning behind two masks, to put is simply, is better safe than sorry. This in no way disproves the benefits of wearing masks.

In an article published on the Black and Redgister website, Brookelyn Evans, a reporter on our staff, wrote, “At some point, it is reasonable to assume that everyone would have been exposed or infected with the virus, meaning that more people will possess the antibodies.” Now, I am not quite sure what “point” is being referenced here, but it is not safe to assume that everyone has been exposed or diagnosed with Covid-19. This is inaccurate because according to Medical News Life Sciences, 21% of Americans have tested positive for Coronavirus as of February 4th. Another important piece of information to note is that, even if we went along with this theory of everyone having antibodies, antibodies do not last forever. Antibodies only last for up to a few months after you test positive for Covid. You can find more on this from the Mayo Clinic.

The months of quarantine, I am referencing March 2020- May 2020, was a time that I, as well as everyone else in America had never experienced before.

The national quarantine is over and has been for 9 months. Though there are still the aforementioned precautions that are recommended by the CDC, such as wearing your masks and social distancing, a large part of our lives have returned to normal. It is unfair to say that we are not “living our lives” because we are trying to keep people safe. It is an act of selfishness to put your desire to travel over another human being’s life.  Yes, you should quarantine if you test positive for Covid, but aside from that, there is no restriction for anyone in America to remain indoors and “cooped up in their homes.” The travel ban has been lifted and citizens are free to roam anywhere in America and fly on planes.

With more information of this deadly virus everyday, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are being administered to all people over the age of 16, starting April 5th. Pfizer, a popular brand of the vaccine being administered has proven it’s 100% efficiency in adolescents. Another myth that I believe is important to debunk is that the vaccines are unsafe because they were rapidly developed. This is untrue because although Covid is fairly new, as soon as this pandemic hit, pharmaceutical companies invested greatly in finding and developing a vaccine. There were no safety protocols bypassed in creation of the Covid-19 vaccine. Again, if you would like to find more information on this, please visit the Mayo Clinic’s website.

I cannot speak for everyone, but we should recognize that those with medical and science degrees are educated and, despite popular belief from some political groups, actually know what they are talking about.

In short, the answer is no, we are not done with Coronavirus and we should leave it up to medical professionals to decide when we can fully wipe our hands of this disease. Covid will be nothing but a memory one day, but as of the present, we must remain aware that it still exists. This virus is not desired but the first step to fighting it off, is recognizing its existence.

Let me leave you with this, if anything, something as trivial as wearing your mask could save someone’s life.