It’s been over a full year since the word “Coronavirus” entered the global vocabulary, and as it stands today there may finally be an end in sight. With development of an effective vaccine, we can hope that the days of speeding through time, toting masks, and endless Zoom calls may draw to completion. But with upwards of sixty million cases across the world and total positive tests in our state climbing past 150,000, how likely is it that you might get it? 

The CDC estimates that roughly one in three Americans have contracted coronavirus thus far. With that staggering number in mind, how many people do you know of that have been diagnosed with COVID-19? The safest estimate may be to multiply that by five to get a realistic estimation of how many people you know that have developed antibodies to coronavirus after exposure. What’s more curious may be the question, how many people at Issaquah High School have gone through the tolls of coronavirus? Unluckily for us, it is likely that many have. As a major suburb, King County has become a hotbed for infection, totalling over 40,000 cases within the boundaries alone. With hospitals overrun and medical personnel exhausted, people are suffering. King County executive Dow Constantine explains, “The number of hospitalizations in King County last week increased by over 70 percent compared to the previous four weeks. There are twice as many people in local hospitals with COVID-19 as there were just a month ago. This is the most critical issue: We have to reverse this trend before our hospitals become overwhelmed.” Knowing this, it is essential that the Issaquah High School community remains vigilant to keep others healthy. 

This may all seem like a hypothetical situation that of course would never happen to you, but I am here to inform you that it can in fact happen to anyone. I speak from experience–it happened to me. As a worker at a crowded grocery store throughout the pandemic, I assumed that I must have already contracted the virus, that I must be immune. I made one common decision that quickly assured me otherwise. On a fall day, three of my closest friends and I decided to go to Bob’s Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze, a common outdoor activity for Issaquah teenagers. We arrived fully masked, protected, and sanitized. For whatever reason, even following guidelines was not quite enough to protect ourselves, and after exhibiting mild symptoms a few days later we all made the trip to get tested. They all returned positive.

Although my personal experience dealing with coronavirus was relatively uneventful with the exception of a lengthy isolation period, my friends did not fare quite as well. Senior Sadie Bacon says, “It was very weird being isolated and being alone even though my family was right outside my door. ” She dealt with some common symptoms of coronavirus, losing two of her senses completely for weeks. Senior Claudia Leon says, “I guess I just felt cheated, I worked so hard to stay safe and barely left my house and yet I still contracted the virus. It really opened my eyes to how serious this is.” Another senior, Abby May, fell victim to coughing and congestion, stating that she “felt mentally and physically drained. Every day felt the same because I barely left my room.” A coworker and Skyline junior Kayden Jambor states, “I’m so glad you stayed home [from work]. That could’ve been catastrophic.” With many students at Issaquah High holding jobs throughout the pandemic and even more exposed to many individuals and at risk of contracting the virus, we must remain vigilant as any error could result in a mass spreading incident. While I know that no student from Issaquah caused my friends and I to contract coronavirus, there was certainly a mass spreader who did cause infection, and anyone can become that source. 

What was undoubtedly more terrifying was the fear of transmission. I recall the thoughts racing through my head during the days of quarantine: “What if my mom has it? What about my dad?” Although many high school age students may not exhibit intense symptoms, we are constantly exposed to those who could suffer long term consequences should they contract coronavirus. Although upwards of 90percent of young adults recover fully and quickly from auto-immune onslaught, our parents and people around us could suffer severe consequences should we not act responsibly. Even as my friends and I engaged in an outdoor, distanced, and safe activity, we still contracted the virus and could have easily passed it along to high risk individuals should we have failed to get tested or isolate. We made a tiny error that could have easily resulted in spreading the potentially fatal disease. All this goes to say, stay careful. Stay vigilant. Stay safe, Issaquah.