Viral Thoughts (no longer updated)

There’s no doubt that the 2020-2021 school year has been a bit different compared to most. With academic adjustments made to create a safe learning environment allowing some to prevail, and some to unfortunately fail, it’s a good thing the school year is coming to an end.  As the school year slows to a stop for summer, COVID slowly is too. The increased number of vaccinations and the rapid decline ...

An increase in vaccinations and a decrease in cases, means new opportunities are becoming available. As more and more people continue to receive their first and second doses of the various COVID vaccines, more and more people can also begin to live how they were before the pandemic. Unfortunately, there are those who have disregarded guidelines and such and have had the privilege of living a fairly ...

Over the past month, India has had very noticeable and dangerous increases in corona cases. Going from just over 50,000 to a little over 350,000, there’s no doubt that India is being very heavily hit by the virus. To make matters worse, hospitals in the country are also running out of oxygen and are in dire need of supplies. Many are dying on the streets, and 90% of India's oxygen supply is being diverte...

Meeting President Biden's COVID eligibility goal, all adults and those 16 and older are now eligible for COVID vaccination. This gives the U.S a significant boost in preventing the spread and brings us even closer to the end of this over-a-year-long pandemic.  Even with the current pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, distribution has become more readily available. Opening vac...

With the exception of one or two days, Texas has steadily kept new COVID cases under 10,000 over the past month. This is particularly due to the fact that vaccines are becoming more widely available and easy to access. As of right now, Texas has administered the first dose to 32.4% of its population, and the second dose to 18.1%.  As new vaccine locations are opened up, it’s hopeful that these percentages will rise. Especially due to the CDC rewarding three billion dollars in funding across the U.S, with a little over 58 million going towards Texas. The collective efforts going into putting an end to COVID and the pandemic are going to pay off,...

COVID has changed our lives drastically over the past year, and with things hopefully going back to normal soon, what’s life going to look like? What will normal be, and how do we go about determining what is normal?  At this point in the pandemic, most are used to COVID and the precautions it brings. We social distance, wear masks, and the fact that there’s a global pandemic is just common k...

With the start of the last nine weeks, summer and the end of the school year is quickly approaching. After nearly a year of corona and a disappointing summer in 2020, many are looking forward to what summer ‘21 holds. However, it’s only going to be as great as we make it. Meaning, if we don’t continue with proper precautions now, it’s likely summer won’t be as we’ve hoped. Vaccines are b...

Recently, Texas Governor Greg Abott made the decision to fully reopen Texas, after its closing due to COVID-19. The reopening of our state means that the mask mandate is lifted, despite the risks it poses and health officials warning against it.  Although the mandate is lifted, that doesn’t stop businesses and schools from requiring them. Places such as Macys and Target, still require both cust...

As of right now, the U.S has a total COVID case count of 29,305,679. We are number one in the world for total cases. Even though vaccines are getting approved by the FDA, and President Joe Biden signed an executive order for the U.S to work with the Canadian government to develop health and safety measures to reopen the border, there’s still no real plan to fully open the U.S. Some states are still being affected heavily by the Co...

The popular sandbox-style game known as Minecraft has various surges in popularity. This is brought about by various things, this most recent surge very likely being an effect of the quarantine and the coronavirus.  Due to COVID, things have changed in the past year. Our ways of life and how we go about how days have been especially impacted. We're cautious in public settings, and we spend a lot more t...

Tom Brady led the Buccaneers to victory in the Super Bowl on Sunday, beating the Chiefs 31-9. This was Bradey’s seventh Super Bowl win, and many were there to witness it; about 25,000 to be exact. While 25,000 is better than 200,000, it was still risky.  Of the 25,000 who attended, 7,500 were fully vaccinated, healthcare workers. The rest had no vaccination or test requirement. Despite 25,000 people being spread out in a 65,89...

In an attempt to battle COVID-19 and the various new strands of it, the U.S. has recently issued an extended entry ban. This further prevents travelers from Europe's Schengen Area, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa from entering the U.S. What these five places have in common are the newer strands of COVID-19 that have been located in these areas; all of which spread faster and ...

Even before the world-wide pandemic hit, the coronavirus was already a thing. There are actually hundreds of types of coronaviruses; all of which are categorized into different groups. Most coronaviruses are only found in animals, however there are seven that are known to affect humans. One of these being SARS-CoV-2, which is what causes COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. It’...

With the holiday season having wrapped up, COVID unfortunately is doing the opposite. With a sudden spike in cases on Jan. 3, 291,630 new cases were recorded that day in the U.S, compared to the typical 140,000-240,000 cases that are recorded normally.  The sudden spike in cases isn’t so sudden if one thinks about the fact that it was right after Christmas and New Year’s Eve; two very popular holidays invol...

Fast fashion refers to inexpensive and rapidly produced clothing that closely follows trends and is used by mass-market retailers. The inexpensive, rapidly produced, and trendy clothing is why fast fashion is so popular, and why online stores like Romwe and Shein have boosted in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier this year.  These online shops were able to easily cater to people's rapidly changing sense of style due to the wide variety of clothing and accessories they sold. They didn’t stic...

The CDC has released new guidelines regarding those who test negative, and/or have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.  While the standard originally was for everyone to self-quarantine for 14 days no matter if they had it, or if they were exposed, that has recently changed. Now it’s suggested that one who tests negative and shows no symptoms, only needs to self-qu...

With the holiday season finally here, many are eager to make plans and celebrate this festive time. In a normal year, most would travel, get together with family and friends, or go around spreading holiday cheer. However, it’s not a normal year, and we can’t put a pause on COVID for Christmas, and other holidays around this time. To throw CDC guidelines out the window just to celebrate Christmas...

Just one week after hitting 10 million COVID-19 cases, the U.S. has hit 11 million. There’s no doubt that cases are surging, and as people are getting more restless, they’re getting more reckless. While COVID-19 originated in late 2019, most in the U.S. would recognize March 13 as the start of the downward spiral that has been 2020. For a lot of students and educators, it was the last day of a semi nor...

Barring any successful court challenges of the Nov. 3 election results, it appears that President-Elect Joe Biden will receive enough electoral votes to become the 46th president of the United States. With such a position of power, there are certain problems that need to be addressed. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed a total of 243,768 people in the U.S. Replacing the Trump Administration, it’ll be up to the Biden Administration to find anot...

As of Sunday, the United States has a total of 9,472,858 confirmed COVID cases. That’s 527,142 away from 10 million. California is currently leading with the most cases at 935,494, and Texas is a close second at 933,117. With 2 months left in 2020, it’s quite possible that the U.S. will hit 10 million cases, and maintain their lead in COVID cases.  There are various factors as to why it’s p...

With Election Day on Nov. 3, those who are eligible to vote are making sure that they get their ballots in. Whether it’s by mail, or by finding their local polling place, more people than ever before are voting, one of the reasons for this being COVID-19. COVID has affected the US in numerous ways. The economy, how we perceive social issues, and how we act in our day to day lives are among a few examples of this. Everyone has interpreted the circumstances that COVID has presented differently, causing the nation to ...

Social media has played a large role in many people's lives since before the pandemic, however, COVID-19 has increased its significance. Platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok have had increases in engagement over the past few months during quarantine.  Facebook for example, has seen an increase in monthly active users (MAU). In 2019 they had a total of 2.50 Billion MAU, and...

Due to COVID-19, it’s highly advised to wear a mask. It prevents one from potentially spreading the virus, and it prevents one from potentially receiving it as well. While wearing a mask is a good thing, it does have limiting factors like affecting one's ability to communicate. With one's voice muffled into a piece of fabric, and half of their face covered, it can be hard to effectively communicate w...

Known for its numerous pop stars, successful skincare lines, and its unique culture, South Korea is a place that many people idolize. The idolization of such an amazing country shouldn’t stop at what’s trending or popular. The way South Korea was able to handle and maintain COVID-19 is immaculate, and we can actually learn quite a lot from it. At the very start of the pandemic, South Korea began ...

When self isolating, you can’t see anyone; in person at least. That’s why many will turn to the popular FaceTime app Houseparty. It works on iPhone and Android, so Android users aren’t left out of the virtual discussion. Each call can have up to 10 people, and the app creates a very interactive experience amongst friends. Recently, it had an update that made the app a whole lot more fun. T...

The small, aesthetically pleasing, breakfast and coffee joint, The Nest Cafe, not only has good food but good social distancing measures as well.  Upon entering, the place felt very bright, and calm. The most noticeable thing was the number of people at 10 a.m. The restaurant was limited to only 20 guests at a time, with a max of five people per party. This made it easier for guests to be safely s...

Spooky season is quickly approaching, and for some it’s already here. The leaves are starting to  change, and it’s getting colder out by the day. The Spirit Halloween store is up and running for its seasonal sale of costumes and freaky decorations, and the seasonal debates on whether or not candy corn is good, are back. With October 31 a month and a half away, it warrants the question of how exactly wi...

With in-person school having started on Thursday, minimizing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 is crucial. It’s important that students know, and are aware of, how to keep themselves, their peers, and their teachers safe in a learning environment.  Firstly, wear a mask. It's as simple as that. They create a form of source control and prevent respiratory droplets from spreading. They also help ...

With students having begun online learning on Aug. 13 due to COVID-19, people are already asking “what will happen next?”. Confirmed cases are going down in Texas, but they’re at a halt. At the start of the pandemic, it was widely thought that by now everything would be back to normal. However, it’s possible that it won’t be “normal” for a while, and maybe that’s a good thing. Face...