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My Experience and Thoughts on The COVID-19 Pandemic

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This situation hasn’t been going at all like I had expected…

When they announced the closure of our school, smack in the middle of the year, we all felt a sense of excitement and promise. I felt a slight prick of fear, but it was alleviated by my friends’ surprisingly optimistic reactions. We had been hearing about COVID-19, but our teen sense of invincibility made the topic seem like a foreign concept, something that would never even reach our little bubble in New Jersey.

And then it did. It not only penetrated the bubble; it stomped the crap out of all of us, instantly killing the premature feelings of happiness and replacing them with living dread. For me and many of my friends especially, seeing the numbers rise exponentially made us all want to stay in our rooms and just hide. But even there I knew COVID would find me eventually.

The COVID-19 virus, known more commonly as the Coronavirus, was first detected in Wuhan, China, and eventually extended its reach to the entire world.
(Image by China Daily via Reuters)

New Jersey started out with just one case, found in Fort Lee. Then a second, then a third, then a fourth. In my naivety I thought the cases would stop at ten. When they didn’t, I knew that this wasn’t going to end anytime soon. It took over 100 cases to be confirmed for me to finally open my eyes to the news, however horrible it was, and see what was becoming of our world. And it wasn’t pretty.

As if this world wasn’t already messed up enough, people began to die in hordes. A family in New Jersey lost close to all of their members. An entire senior citizen home was found with all of the residents passed away. Mothers were getting the virus and giving it to their unborn children. Eventually, New Jersey reached second place, right under New York, for the most COVID-19 cases in America.

Our worst fears, the looming defeat of our optimistic thinking, had been realized.

Image by Dave Granlund

To make matters worse, people weren’t realizing the severity of the situation. My family went out for a drive once, to a large park, and saw at least ten different families all running around, definitely not six-feet apart, hugging and chatting casually as if there weren’t millions dying around the world. All I could think was: shame on them, but even more so, shame on me. Shame on me for not realizing this sooner and taking it all so lightly.

We need to show people the severity of this situation. Right now. I urge you to find those around you, and if you see anyone going outside without the proper precaution and boasting their “strong immunity”, tell them the consequences of their actions.

If we continue as we are now, this pandemic may very well be the death of us. Businesses have begun to partially re-open across America, and people have taken this as a confirmation that they are free to do as they please. They’ve begun to think of this pandemic as a terrible fever dream from yesterday and immediately forget it all. We can’t let them forget. If history taught us anything, it’s this: we must remember the failures of yesterday to better them tomorrow.

To my readers out there:

It’s what you do in your worst moments that defines you.

Do whatever you can to help our healthcare heroes on the front line. Whether it’s donating food, supplies, or making masks, try your best. But if these things are not for you, then there is one thing that you are very capable of doing to help them the most:

Staying INSIDE!

It’s a pain to stay inside and away from our friends and family, but just remember: your best friend for these next few months is social distancing. This way you can help flatten the curve, and slowly but surely it will be rendered nonexistent.

If going outside is absolutely necessary, then maintain a distance of six-feet and cover your mouth (with a mask; if not available, use a thick scarf). Do your part*, and then maybe we can get out of this horrible situation, possibly more united than ever.

And then someday, we can tell our children: I survived the COVID-19 pandemic.

– Pihu J.

*Here are some credible sources for live updates on the virus, as well as how to help during these times:

Sources:

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