Camryn Holland Mr. Steineker Chemistry 2 4/7/2020

How COVID-19 Has Affected Me

The novel coronavirus has changed my mentality in many unexpected ways in the past month, from the way I think, to how I interact with others, to how I interact with myself. In the world overall, COVID-19 has caused panic, and the world is bound to be changed because of this. I already see changes in my life, whether it is how I greet and spend my time with others, my selfishness vs. the better of majority, or how I consume products.

To start, let’s discuss the coronavirus as a whole. The virus is a flu-like disease that was first contracted in Wuhan, China. For the majority, it is as harmless as the flu, and you’re guaranteed to recover safely. For others though, the virus can be deadly. It’s suspected that the cause of its lethality is from the virus causing dead cells to form in the upper airway, which in turn causes the immune system to attack the body (otherwise known as a cytokine storm). Due to this disease being deadly for the young, elderly, autoimmune, and sometimes, just plain unlucky people, we as a planet have to sacrifice a lot to keep everyone safe. Everyone’s world and experiences with it are permanently changed due to the novel coronavirus.

One of the biggest changes in the world now is social distancing- the practice of keeping yourself away from those outside of your household, usually 6 feet at minimum. World leaders are seen bumping elbows, people are being laid off or sent home to work due to country wide quarantines, and schools have closed down

temporarily, leaving students and teachers with NTI. As a student, the latter affects me more than the other two. I have been away from classes for 2 weeks as of now, and I have just started NTI, which is very different from my usual classes. In fact, as I write this essay for an NTI class, my dog keeps on trying to bite my hands, which is very different from my usual classes. As well as affecting my school, it has affected my social life as well. I have been visiting family out of boredom recently, and whenever we meet, we stay far apart, never hugging or touching. I’ve been separated from my friends as well, calling them more often than not, as it’s one of the easiest ways to stay in touch with them. When my 16th birthday passed while in quarantine, I spent it with my nuclear family instead of my extended family and friends as I usually would. While it was a bit upsetting, I understood the reasoning. I had to put the

public’s health before my own wants, which brings us to the second major change.

As the coronavirus has spread throughout America, we as a whole have to decide- what’s more important, my wants or the world’s needs? Many younger Americans choose to do

what they like, throwing parties and meeting up despite the conditions. But we have to hesitate and think about our choices- How does this affect those around us? We have to choose the best choice for the majority. This means giving up many luxuries. For example, I haven’t gone to see my orthodontist in awhile, because I don’t want to risk getting anyone sick. I also haven’t gone out to apply for any new jobs for the same reason. The most noticeable change has to be the lack of going out to eat, as it was a major part of my family’s lifestyle.

On the topic of eating, another big change has been our product consumption. Due to panic buying and quarantines, it has become difficult to find non-perishables and cleaning products. People buy needless items in a panic such as toilet paper, which means that we have to be mindful

of how much of a product we use at a time. As well as panic buying, we never know when we won’t be able to leave the house again, causing my family to stock up and eat small amounts. We also have cut down on meats due to the nature of the virus, which was spread in a meat market in Wuhan.

Overall, the virus has changed my life, not for the better, but not

necessarily for the worse. My life has changed quite a bit, and I’m still learning how everything is going to work out. I’m excited to see how the world will change after this, the unthinkable for modern day. The coronavirus is sure to have changed the world overall, and how we as a nation, and planet, view health and safety.