“March 2020”… but in 2022

Written by Reagan Braun

There’s a sense of deja vu when looking at the current situation of COVID-19, which initially hit the United States in January of 2020, but took the country and the rest of the world by force in March. The country shut down… people lost their jobs or worked remotely and virtually, contacting each other through a program similar to Skype called Zoom. Schools followed, and real human contact was little to none.

However, as 2020 came to an end and 2021 followed, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel with the creation and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. Lockdowns were lifted, schools began to shift from virtual to hybrid models and some even went all in. As 2021 went on, things began to take a turn for the worse as new variants of COVID-19 emerged. In December of 2020, the Delta variant was identified in India and swept through Great Britain before hitting the United States. Now the newest variant, Omicron, which originally emerged in South Africa is taking the U.S. by storm.

Omicron has similar symptoms to COVID-19 and the Delta variant, although it causes a milder infection than both. However, it is much more contagious and has spread much faster than what has been seen from other strands, which is the biggest issue with this variant. Those who have come in contact with the variant and have both vaccination shots, plus the booster, experience mild symptoms, the biggest being a sore throat, followed by fatigue, and muscle pain. Nothing crazy, just uncomfortable. However, for those with a lesser vaccination status, it can cause worse symptoms to hospitalization. Some believe there is hope with this variant, as its goal seems to be to infect as many as possible. Since it moves as quickly as it can, it might run its course faster than the others.

COVID-19 and Omicron have hit close to home for those in Hilliard, With the increase in cases, some schools in Hilliard’s and neighboring districts have begun to see outbreaks, mainly schools in the Columbus City Schools district. From August to now, other districts have closed or stopped extracurricular activities temporarily to slow down the spread, from Athens City Schools to Westerville South and Central.

As 2021 turns to 2022, it starts with the same COVID-19 worries as the two previous years, but with more data on COVID-19 and vaccination research continuing, hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Works Cited:

Edwards, Erika. “Omicron symptoms: What we know about the illness caused

by the new variant”. NBC. 4 January 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/omicron-symptoms-covid-what-to-know-rcna9469. Accessed 5 January 2022.

Morberger, Alexis. “Some schools now closing or planning to as they see

COVID outbreaks”. ABC6. 27th August 2021. https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/some-schools-now-closing-or-planning-to-as-they-see-covid-outbreaks. Accessed on 5 January 2022.

NBC, New York. “Omicron Variant Symptoms: Latest COVID ‘Making People

Really Sick in a Different Way’”. NBC. 4 January 2022. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/weather/. Accessed 5 January 2022.