COVID-19 Breakdown

A Breakdown On The Ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic

DO’S

• Two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric • Fits snug against nose and sides of one’s face • Wash or sanitize hands before and after use • Wash face covers frequently

DO NOT’S

• Purchase hard to breathe fabrics, such as vinyl • Exhalation valves or vents embedded in mask • Use N95 respirators or surgical masks • Put a mask on kids under two years old • Wear a standard scarf or bandana

The Benefits and Science Behind Wearing Masks

Learning how to protect yourself during this pandemic — Kelsie Hildebrand, Editor-in-Chief

When COVID-19 was first discovered last year, the virus was unknown to man how it effects people's bodies. Scientists have worked hard to get a grasp on the Global Pandemic and are tryng to find a cure. In the meantime, health professionals recommend wearing masks to protect others. The CDC (Centers of Disease Control) recommends “you wear masks in public settings around people who do not live in your household and when you can not stay 6 feet away from others.” There are mask requirements in big companies, small businesses, restaurants, schools and offices all across the country ever since the country shut down in March and “reopened” this summer. According to the CDC, “the mask helps prevent a person who is sick from spreading the virus to others and helps keep respiratory droplets contained from reaching other people.” Scientists have discovered that it is very common for carriers to be asymptomatic as well as pre-symptomatic, which means not showing signs of COVID-19 up to 14 days after contracting the virus. Studies upon studies have been conducted that have resulted in evidence that shows masks in fact protect the spread of COVID-19. “One category of evidence comes from laboratory studies of respiratory droplets and the ability of various masks to block them in experiments using high-speed videos finding that hundreds of droplets ranging from 20 to 500 micrometers were generated when saying a simple phrase, but that nearly all these droplets were blocked when the mouth was covered by a damp washcloth,” according to a research article, “Still Confused About Masks,” conducted by UCSF (University of CaliforniaSan Francisco). According to The Conversation “Asymptomatic cases range from 18% to over 80% because estimates are still unclear.” It is impossible to determine whether certain people walking down the street are carrying COVID-19, which makes wearing a mask beneficial if everyone is abiding by the new protocols.

A Possible Vaccine for COVID-19 The steps the FDA is taking to stop the spread of COVID-19 — Nathan Stramer, General Reporter

Creating a vaccine for a deadly disease is a very lengthy process. “Drug development is sometimes described as a pipeline with compounds moving from early laboratory development to laboratory and animal testing to clinical trials in people,” Shawn Radcliffe said in his article “Here’s Exactly Where We Are with Vaccines and Treatments for COVID-19.” A vaccine would take at least a few months if not longer to create.

Photo taken from Creative Commons “The drug is given to a small number of healthy people, and people with a disease to look for side effects to figure out the best dose,” Radcliffe said. Scientists are moving as fast as they possibly can to figure out a working vaccine, or treatment for COVID-19. According to the New York Times article, Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker, “Researchers are testing 40 vaccines in clinical trials on humans, and at least 92 preclinical vaccines are under active investigation on animals.” “An EUA allows doctors to use these drugs to treat people with COVID-19 even before the medications have gone through the formal FDA approval process.” This could potentially be dangerous and cause side effects in clinical trial patients. According to the FDA “All drugs have risks, and there may be additional risks when chloroquine phosphate or hydroxychloroquine sulfate are used for COVID-19. Risks associated with these drugs include serious heart rhythm problems, low blood sugar, anemia, worsening of seizures, neurology (brain) problems and retina (layer of eye tissue) damage that can cause vision problems. The good outweighs the bad with a potential early release of a vaccine. According to the FDA, “Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for investigational convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to fight COVID-19.” “Based on scientific evidence available, the FDA concluded its decision may be effective in treating COVID-19, and that the known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the potential risks of the product.”

Making Sure One’s Mental Health Is Strong During This Time of Unknown Tips and tricks to help reduce one’s stress and anxiety

— Aspen Jewkes, Opinion Editor

The Global Pandemic has not only affected people’s physical health, but also their mental health. As COVID-19 cases increased, so did the depression rates. There are various factors that contributed to the increase of depression rates during COVID-19.

According to the Massachusetts General Hospital, “trauma from widespread disease, grief over losses of life, fear of getting sick, unprecedented physical distancing, financial concerns, loss of community and reduced access to caregivers” have all contributed to the depression rates increasing. Not knowing what could happen next has caused many people to have an abundant amount of Ways stress and anxiety along with fear about the unknown. to Keep One’s According to the CDC, “fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be Mental Health Strong overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children.” “Public health actions, such as - Take deep breaths, stretch, social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety.” or meditate Whether you are an introverted person, or an extroverted person, isolation can be hard for - Try to eat healthy well-balanced everyone. Quarantining can make people feel very closed off from the world, which makes it meals hard to stay positive during times of distress. - Exercise regularly “It was very hard for me to stay positive during quarantine, but I was able to find things that - Get plenty of sleep brought me joy and I had to give myself incentives in order to keep myself busy,” Junior Natalie - Make time to Haroldson said. unwind It is very important to find different ways to cope with stressful situations, so that your mental health can stay strong. 16 October 2020 Feature

Quarantining During COVID-19

Ways to help one stay busy during quarantine

— Aspen Jewkes, Opinion Editor

Ways

Many of us have spent several weeks quarantining this past year. After a few days, the to Stay Busy boredom starts to set in, and one may drive themself crazy. During Quarantine: Quarantining can be very isolating, which can make people feel sad and alone. It is - Go on a walk important to keep oneself busy during times like these. - Go on a bike ride According to the CDC, “one has to stay home for fourteen days after one’s last contact - Read a book with someone with COVID-19.” - Do yoga Two weeks can be a lot to handle without leaving the house, because one might feel - Make breakfast, lunch and like they have already done everything possible. dinner According to the Department of Health, - Go on a drive “one may go on bike rides, walks, and hikes as long as one is by themselves.” While it is important to make sure one is getting physical activity, it is also important to keep one’s mind busy. According to Psychology Today, “It is important to focus on what one can control by limiting ones media intake and setting personal sceduele and goals.” The important thing to keep in mind while quarentining is that it will not last forever.

Graphics made by Aspen Jewkes

The 2020 Election In North Dakota Voting laws in North Dakota gives its residents multiple opportunities to be involved

— Kelsie Hildebrand, Editor-in-Chief

The 2020 election is one of many events to be drastically affected by the coronavirus. The people are worried about how they will vote and when all the votes will be tallied. Whoever wins the 2020 election will be taking on a boatload of responsibilities including the pandemic shutting down the country, social tension and economical and environmental issues. Populated areas are struggling with how voting will go down, unlike North Dakota. There is not a voter registration requirement as there is in every other state, and North Photo taken by Kelsie Hildebrand Dakota also allows for no excuse absentee voting, which means any voter can request a mail ballot without providing an excuse and early voting in many precincts. “I think there should be no real concerns in North Dakota over voting opportunities, however, in other states voting is going to be more complicated,” Social Studies Teacher Kurt Miller said. “People need to be prepared for the election results not being finalized on election night like we are accustomed too.” For in-person voting one can assume there will be mask requirements, social distancing and sanitation stations come November. People have accustomed to these protocols resulting in many midwestern states following a similar strategy as North Dakota with in-person voting and no excuse absentee voting. “I think voting in person on election day will have similar precautions to the “new normal,” therefore, I agree with the laws of North Dakota that allow for no excuse absentee voting, early voting, and in-person voting,” Miller said. “I believe voting should be done in a manner that provides the easiest pathway to this very important democratic responsibility for each citizen.”