Coronavirus is the talk of the world today, with so many questions and concerns as the numbers around the world continue to increase and decrease over the last two years. But what is Covid-19? And now with this new variant omicron, how did it all start and what can be done to make this a thing of the past?  

     Believe it or not, based on an article from WebMD.com, “Coronavirus was first identified by scientists in 1965 which presented itself as a common cold.” The word corona means crown and refers to the appearance that coronaviruses get from the spike proteins sticking out of them. These spike proteins when contracting coronaviruses stay in the human body for a few weeks after being sick. Over the years, public health officials have kept a close eye on the development of this virus. Many cleaning products to this day list coronavirus on the back of their packaging along with the flu and other viruses that have been present for years. But now, it was time to take on this variant with full force. 

     News outlets began to touch on reports around December 12, 2019 of many patients in Wuhan, Hubel Providence, China who began to experience shortness of breath and fever. Then on January 20, 2020, the CDC confirmed the first U.S. case of Covid-19 in Washington State. By March 13, 2020 the United States forever changed and Covid-19 became a household name. The virus includes headache, sore throat, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, chills, loss of taste, runny nose, nausea or vomiting.

     President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency, which closed all schools and businesses, enforced mask mandates, stay-at-home orders of all nonessential employees, and introduced a travel ban. The world seemed to stop as many glued themselves to the television to see the latest numbers of confirmed cases. 

     An article published by ABC news states, “By March 31, there were 192,301 documented cases and the virus had killed 5,334, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.” Many also learned new ways to keep their families safe and stay connected to their loved ones that they could no longer have direct contact with. 

     As new information continues to come in, the world keeps seeking answers to the constant questions and worries. Jacquie Vannart has “felt so isolated and scared as I follow all the precautions set for by the country. I have continued to work from home during the pandemic, which I am thankful for but I am so eager to get back to the way things used to be prior to Covid.”

     Vaccinations are rolling out and the world lines up to do their part to help combat the spreading of Covid-19. Doctors and nurses are burned out, so many lives have been lost, and many are dealing with continued symptoms from when they were sick. There seemed to be light at the end of this dark tunnel, but then just when the world thought we had things under control, a new variant rattled our world once again. 

     The Omicron variant is highly contagious, and people are getting sick faster after exposure. Symptoms include cough, fatigue, tiredness, congestion, sore throat, and headache. Loss of taste and smell seems to be uncommon. Evidence in an article provided by ABC news is showing how omicron is not intruding the lungs like the first variant but may act more like bronchitis than pneumonia. Covid cases in children are still rising, but many kids hospitalized are not hospitalized for Covid it is due to other health issues. Severe illness in children still remains rare, even when talking about Omicron. On a positive note, people are recovering quickly from this variant and less deaths are occurring. 

     The best course of action at this point is still to continue to wear masks in large crowds, stay home from school and work when sick, get vaccinated if that is one’s personal preference; and continue to practice proper hygiene to help take Covid-19 and Omicron down.