At first, when most people would hear the word “corona” they’d think beer. But now our minds immediately go to the coronavirus. Taking up most of the news lately and continuing to spread, it’s definitely something that has gotten more and more serious as the days pass by.
What is the coronavirus? It first emerged in China in December 2019 and began to spread rapidly, due to it easily being spread from person to person. Similar to the flu, symptoms may include coughing, having a fever, and shortness of breath. With there being no vaccine yet, it’s suggested to stay home if you feel sick at all because of it.
How does this affect us as a university and college students? With different people being on campuses, more than one million being international students in U.S. universities, and more than a third of those international students being from China according to CNN health, this could cause a serious problem. This puts students more at risk of contracting the coronavirus and may put a hold on physically meeting in classrooms.
Now because of this, some people are not going to get their monthly income and professors have to move their teaching to an online platform. It’s hectic and now there has to be work-arounds to things regarding universities and moving online. Then there’s the question of, what about those students who can’t go home due to various reasons? There are many questions that many don’t have the answer to because things are moving so quickly due to the coronavirus.
Even outside of universities, the coronavirus is causing people to freak out. With toilet paper, hand sanitizer, lysol wipes, etc. being completely gone from many stores. Hand sanitizer isn’t the only item that’s being bought from stores, but also tactical gear such as flashlights. According to Buzzfeed News, “sales of tactical gear have increased 100% since the outbreak started.”
It’s found that the people most at risk of contracting the coronavirus or spreading it are the elderly, children, those with chronic conditions, and smokers. Although as college students, our chances of contracting the coronavirus are low, it’s still possible that we can catch it from someone else and spread it to others. Even though our symptoms wouldn’t be as bad, if we spread it to someone else it could be a life or death situation. So aside from leaving campus and pretty much isolating ourselves, what else can we do as college students?
Don’t Freak Out!
I know it’s easier said than done considering the media and mostly everyone in the world is hyping up the coronavirus or talking about it. But, if we fear or are stressed about the coronavirus it actually makes us more at risk of getting it. When stressed, it’s hard for the body to fight off potential viruses and illnesses and this could also have many other negative effects on the body. So just relax, and try not to think too much about it, but also be prepared. You can be prepared for something, but not be worried about it.
Wash Your Hands
I know it sounds so simple but not everyone does it. I guess it takes times like this to actually push people to be more hygienic. Try to wash your hands as often as you can for 20 seconds, this will keep away all of those nasty germs you’ve gotten from touching door knobs or shaking someone else’s hand. So be sure to make a cautious effort of washing your hands, especially after you use the bathroom.
Don’t Touch Your Face
This is especially hard for me considering I touch my face a lot without even realizing it sometimes. But think about it this way, you’ve touched the door knob and then proceed to put your hand on your face, think about how many germs that is going around your face! EW.
Keep Your Area Clean.
When things are clean life is just better as a whole, but also it decreases our chances of contracting germs. The cleaner the better. If something is dirty just take a few moments out of your day to clean it, most of us are out of school anyway so what else do you have to worry about besides cleaning up after yourself?
Feel Sick? Stay Away.
No seriously, stay away. I know it sucks, but better to not push yourself and your immune system to the limits. Rest up, eat, stay hydrated, and try to get better as soon as possible. Your health is the main concern at the end of the day, not going out and grabbing food from Bojangles.
We have to stay motivated in times like this and I believe that we can persevere. Continue to try to finish this semester off strong despite what’s going and and let’s continue to strive to be a healthy uni.
Healthy Uni 