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"How Covid-19 Killed Me" by Allie Chang- Sci4Teens Writing Competition 3rd Place



Cellfie is very proud to have been chosen to showcase the winners of the international Sci4Teens competition. This year's writing task was on the topic of coronavirus and participants could choose to either write about Covid-19 vaccines, Crisis Management or Impacts of the Pandemic. Today we are pleased to be sharing Allie Chang's article with you, which won 3rd Place for the "Impacts of Covid-19" category. Well done, Allie, it is a sophisticated article which covers many of the pressing issues the pandemic has presented us with.

Abstract:

People around the globe are becoming weary of the long-lasting pandemic with only speculated vaccines in sight. COVID-19 has lasted almost a year, with sharp spikes in the last month. From the contagiousness of the coronavirus, thousands are facing difficult economic times as they lose their jobs. Fear of getting infected has taken a toll on many people’s physical health as they continue to stay at home for the foreseeable future. Effects of the pandemic not only medically but also economically and socially are felt in shock waves all across the world.


How COVID-19 Spreads:

Many people might not think getting infected from COVID-19 is easy, but it can be. COVID-19 is from a coronavirus, which is a group of viruses that can cause respiratory diseases, called Sars-CoV-2. The coronavirus is highly contagious and spreads from air particles produced by someone sneezing, coughing, breathing, or talking when they are affected (“Frequently Asked”). It can also spread from infected people doing the above listed actions on objects that another person may touch. This can cause others who touch infected objects, to touch-sensitive areas in their bodies like their mouth, their nose, and their airways, infecting them as well. Also, the fear of getting COVID-19 is at the front of everyone’s minds as they try to stay clean. People feel restricted indoors and start being reckless as strict restrictions imposed by governments like shelter-in-place and wearing masks outside get on their nerves, discouraging them from following guidelines. Tighter restrictions have made people unable to go outside freely as they would like, giving them some anxiety.


Decrease in Physical Activity:

Physical exercise has always been highly recommended by health experts for everyone of all ages to practice. However, after Sars-CoV-2's emergence, physical activity is on the decline as more and more children spend time indoors and on technological devices. This new decrease can cause many problems health experts say, as people stop exercising. According to BMC Public Health, studies from earlier in the pandemic show that about three-fourths of the U.S youth population ages 6 to 15 do not engage in at least an hour of physical activity from moderate to vigorous level (Dunton). This is a vast decrease in exercise as before, most children exercised at least an hour a day, whether because of school requirements or for leisure. Now that many schools have been closed and moved into a teleconferencing format, youth are less motivated to be active physically and get up from their screens. Not exercising, especially regularly, can increase risk factors for diseases and conditions like obesity, high blood cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, not only has children’s physical health been impacted by COVID-19, but their mental health has become more stressed.


Mental Health Stress:

Mental health stress has always been prevalent throughout history. With the added impact of COVID-19, it has only gotten worse. The unemployment rates have skyrocketed and the number of infected cases per day are continually increasing. Both can place burdens on not only adults but also children. There is an increase of about 21% of Americans who say their mental health has been affected negatively since the start of the pandemic (Panchal). Worrying about the coronavirus has caused many to experience a lack of sleep, increased alcohol consumption and substance use, and difficulty eating. These effects not only impact Americans’ mental health but also their physical health. Also, over 80% of Americans are worried about their finances for paying for expenses, paying for medical bills, and saving for retirement because of the coronavirus (“Survey”). Many of these effects can cause financial stress on the Americans’ households, causing children to have more duties and work more. Added to that, remote services like computers and the internet used for schooling may be hard to afford and adds to stress as adults try to find jobs or overwork.


Uncertain Economic Times:

As the number of patients started to rise, unemployment rates went off the charts thanks to stricter restrictions by the government. The U.S. unemployment rate is about nearly four times higher than pre-COVID (Kochhar). Thousands of jobs have been lost, with some permanently. Families are placed in financially-stressed situations, and have relied on the stimulus packages provided by the U.S. Congress. But many experts do not believe another package is likely, and many Americans are starting to run out of unemployment benefits. This leads back to the stress Americans face in their mental and physical health.


Conclusion:

Thousands of citizens have lost their livelihoods, stopped being physically active, and are mentally stressed as COVID-19 looms on. Over 1 million people have died from the coronavirus and more than 55 million infected cases as of November 18, 2020. But there is hope yet, as vaccines are expected to come out in the next year.


References:

Dunton, Genevieve F., et al. Early effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and sedentary behavior in children living in the U.S.. BioMed Central Public Health, 4 Sept. 2020, doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09429-3.

“Frequently Asked Questions.” Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Nov. 2020, cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html.

Kochhar, Rakesh. “Unemployment Rose Higher in Three Months of COVID-19 than It Did in Two Years of the Great Recession.” Pew Research Center, 26 Aug. 2020, pewresearch. org/fact-tank/2020/06/11/unemployment-rose-higher-in-three-months-of-covid-19-than-it-did-in-two-years-of-the-great-recession/.

Panchal, Nirmita, et al. “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use.” KFF, Kaiser Family Foundation, 21 Aug. 2020, kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/ the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/.

“Survey: Nearly 9 in 10 Say COVID-19 Crisis Is Causing Financial Stress.” NEFE, National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), 16 Apr. 2020, nefe.org/news/polls/2020/ survey-covid-19-crisisi-causing-financial-stress.aspx.


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