The Case For Going To School All Week, In Person
December 8, 2020
Schools across the country are coping with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in different ways. Here at Cabell Midland we have the option to stay home all week and work behind a computer or attend school for two days in a week and work behind a computer. This has caused many students to be overwhelmed with the work-load that has been assigned to them. The reasoning behind this is the fear of a student or teacher contracting covid-19. According to the CDC, Covid-19 has a death rate of 0.00003% for people under the age of 19, for comparison (according to the CDC) the seasonal flu has a death rate of of 0.01% for people under the age of 17, and 0.02% for people aging from 18-49. According to the Center for Disease Control students have a higher chance of dying from the seasonal flu than they do from COVID-19 but we don’t cancel school to prevent the flu. The common concern for allowing in-person school is spreading the virus to older people however even in that scenario the death rate for people over the age of 70 with covid-19 is 0.054% and with the flu is 0.83%. When we have students struggling to turn in assignments on time due to the prevention of a virus that has the symptoms of a common cold and a death rate that Is lower than the seasonal flu it makes one wonder if it’s all worth it
Sources Used
Covid-19 Death Rate
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html
Influenza Death Rate
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2017-2018/archive.htm
Keyesta Morgan • Dec 8, 2020 at 9:35 pm
Many teenagers are at home unable to attend in fear of spreading the virus to their loved ones. We would love to be able to attend school in person and make learning easier however, so many people have already been exposed and those who are living with high risk people are terrified because it is VERY REAL. Some of us are preparing to say goodbye to our loved ones because of this virus that people are dismissing as “not serious.” No one should have to live in fear while others are reckless. This virus is bigger than us, it’s time people realize that. I would take a bad grade over losing someone I love.