Coronavirus

Vaping becomes national crisis

By Kiana Paulino Editor IG: KIANAARAAE

Smoking cigarettes has been proven to be a source of many health-related issues. Traditional smoking is no longer “cool,” and as a result teenage smoking of cigarettes has gone down. As of November 2019, the CDC reported a 5% decrease in cigarette smoking among teen users. The effects of smoking in general were so overwhelming that in December 2019, both the Federal House and Senate passed a ban on tobacco and e-cigarette sales to anyone under the age of 21.

However, this has not stopped teens from getting their hands on e-cigarettes. In recent years, vaping or the use of e-cigs has shown a rapid increase of 30% with teenagers. According to the FDA, more than 5 million U.S. middle school and high school students are e-cigarette users. The concern over vaping has become so great that the federal government has issued an “enforcement policy” on unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarettes that appeal to children, including fruit and mint.

The issue has provoked the question of which is worse: smoking or vaping. However, according to the National Center for Health Research, this shouldn’t be

Right: Varela collects vaping and smoking items every day from students. Vaping and smoking are considered Level II Behaviors and can lead to suspension. photo by Kiana Paulino; Below: As soon as next week, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is expected to announce a ban on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes - the majority of vaping products sold - in tens of thousands of convenience stores and gas stations across the country, according to senior agency officials. photo with permission TNS

the question as studies have shown both are harmful to teenagers. Instead the question should simply be: what are the effects of vaping on teens?

In some cases, vaping has caused what could be the same, if not more, health-related problems than smoking. The CDC reported 59 deaths and 2,602 lung injury cases linked to vaping in 2019 alone. More than 120 lung injury patients have been under 18. One of the most common misconceptions of vaping is the form, water vapor, not being harmful. Yet, this has been debunked by the Tobacco Free Organization since e-cigarettes could contain toxins such as nickel, tin, and lead which could potentially cause lung injury and disease. E-cigs also contain nicotine, the same addictive substance found in regular cigarettes. The use of nicotine by teens can potentially harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse. Nicotine used at an early age also increases the likelihood of addiction and use of tobacco products.

“The concerns go beyond nicotine alone. Some brands contain chemicals including formaldehyde, often used in building materials, that can lead to cancer,” health science teacher Barbara Paulsen said. Another danger is that many users are adding substances like marijuana to the vaping liquid which is causing lung damage. On the Johns Hopkins Medical Center website, Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease said, “These cases appear to predominantly affect people who modify their vaping devices or use black market modified e-liquids. This is especially true for vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).” Some of the more immediate effects, according to

the Mayo Clinic whose study reviewed vapers within seven months of vaping, include shortness of breath, cough, fevers, and cases of lipoid pneumonia; this occurs when fatty substances are inhaled directly into the lungs.

In November 2018, the people of Florida banned vaping indoors due to its health hazards, adding to the constitution the 9th amendment. Schools around the nation have stepped up to educate on the dangers of vaping by holding assemblies.

According to the Miami-Dade County Public School’s Student Code of Conduct, vaping is treated the same as smoking and is considered a Level II Behavior "because they significantly interfere with the learning and/ or the well-being of others." Any student caught vaping may spend time in indoor or outdoor suspension and for repeated offenses may be sent to an alternative educational setting.

Research will continue on the effects of vaping, but in the meantime, health officials encouraged people to refrain from vaping until more is known about the specific damages being done to not only teen, but adult bodies, as well.

The Coronavirus has spread from China into Europe and now into the U.S. How can we survive the health and economic fallout?

One of people’s worst fears is the spread of a deadly virus that has no cure: MERS, AIDS, Smallpox, Polio. It is a relief when scientists find cures for these diseases as they did with Smallpox and Polio. Recently, an outbreak of the Coronavirus or COVID-19 has put the world on edge. Origins

The virus is thought to have begun in China at an open-air live animal market in Wuhan. It has spread around the world at a very fast rate. The Coronavirus comes from a large family of viruses that are common amongst other species like camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Isabella Londono Staff Reporter IG: Isabella.xoxo

Chinese employees eat lunch alone and separately for prevention of the new coronavirus and pneumonia in the canteen of CIMC Raffles Offshore Engineering Pte Ltd. in Yantai City, east China's Shandong Province on February 11. photo with permission Sipa USA/TNS

These viruses have some of the same symptoms as influenza (flu): pain in the muscles or chest, fatigue, chills, loss of appetite, congestion, sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath, headaches, and sore throats (CDC). In extreme cases there may even be diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently over 693,224 cases around the world and over 33,106 deaths mostly in China associated with COVID-19. Here in the U.S., the number of known cases surpassed 122,653, and according to the CDC there have been 2,112 deaths. The Coronavirus has already passed the SARS worldwide death toll.

Keeping this in perspective, the common flu saw 29 million cases in the U.S. last year alone, with 16,000 deaths 1 2 thevipervibe@gmail.com

(USA Today).

Just getting these symptoms, does not mean that a person has the Coronavirus; it could just be a common flu. It is wise to go to the doctor to get checked out. Most doctors recommend getting a flu shot. This will not stop a person from getting the Coronavirus, but it may help with the recovery. According to Johns Hopkins, over 158,504 people have recovered. It is survivable.

What makes this virus so serious is that the WHO has declared the Coronavirus as a pandemic. WHO Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO is "deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity" of the outbreak. "All countries can still change the course of this pandemic. If countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response," he said. Economy

According to ship-technology.com “shipping accounts for 90% of the global trade”; the coronavirus is disrupting that trade. There are fewer ships calling on Chinese ports and factories across the country or factories working at low capacity are closing. This is affecting the global economy.

“This will affect the supply chain and the items that we get from China,” Social Studies teacher Irene Cartas said. “Eventually we will begin to see shortages in the United States and once those shortages begin to occur, prices will begin to go up and that’s going to affect our demand for goods. Because we may be able to afford it or not afford it, depending on what it is, eventually, it’s going to transfer world-wide and affect the countries that factories are shut down like Italy and Milan and it all comes down to supply and demand.”

In July 2019, President Trump signed the "Buy American Act." The purpose of this act was to maximize the use of American-made goods. Many of our basic medical supplies like masks and gloves are made in China and Trump is expected to sign another executive order aimed at eliminating the government’s reliance on foreign-made medical supplies.

According to The New York Times, the U.S. stock market has dropped more than 12% since the panic over the virus started. They suggest that investors continue to expect the virus to disrupt global trade as stock prices around the world are dropping.

"To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to The United States for the next 30 days," President Trump said in a press conference.

The new rules went into effect March 13, at midnight and will be subject to change. The restrictions will not apply to Britain.

The State Department has also issued warnings about taking cruises at this time. This will hit the cruise industry hard since it employs over 422,000 jobs in the U.S., one-third of which are here in Florida (Washington Post). Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Lines have all had stock prices fall more than 50% and all Regal Princess cruise ship docked at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Seven cruise ships are expected to dock at the port in the next four days, before all cruise sailings are suspended because of the coronavirus. photo with permission TNS

three companies are based in Florida. All major cruise lines have shut down for at least the next month.

Unfortunately, many people are trying to take advantage of the pandemic by buying large quantities of items such as hand sanitizer, gloves, masks and toilet paper. This in turn is not only affecting the general public, but hospitals and clinics are having shortages on these items. Online sellers like Amazon and eBay have cracked down on these items and have begun banning their sales. According to USA Today, in some cases, they are working with states to track down the third-party sellers for prosecution.

According to the Washington Post, the government is working on plans to give money to all Americans who are not millionaires and who filed tax returns. “We’re looking at sending checks to Americans immediately,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, adding that Trump wants checks to go out “in the next two weeks.”

They are expecting the amount to be approximately $1,000 or more and unlike other government money (unemployment, welfare or food stamps), people do not have to apply for the money and people can use it any way they need. The president has also enacted the Defense Production Act. This act "gives the federal government broad authority to direct private companies to meet the needs of the national defense" (MilitaryTimes.com). Over the decades, presidents have used this act to help in times of national crises. Trump is using it to get private companies to help produce medical supplies like masks and respirators. Florida

As of March 11, Florida’s State University System transitioned to remote learning in response to the coronavirus

pandemic. President of Florida International University, Mark B. Rosenberg, issued a statement that said "Remote instruction for all classes will occur through at least Saturday, April 4." With over 192 cases at the time in Florida, it prompted most school systems to shut down, including our own Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). Superintendent Alberto Carvalho ordered all schools closed starting the week of March 16. Luckily, Spring Break was right around the corner. However, rather than treat this time off as an extra week of vacation, teachers were given instructions for distance learning.

On Friday, March 13, Varela’s Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on March 16, at Wall Street in New York City. Trading on Wall Street was halted immediately after the opening bell Monday, as stocks posted steep losses following emergency moves by the Federal Reserve to try to avert a recession due to the coronavirus pandemic. photo with permission Getty Images/TNS

Varela cafeteria workers make hot lunches to feed students during the school closure. photo by N. Fins

schedule changed from its normal block schedule to one where students visited all six classes in order to get instructions on how to contact their teachers and what distance learning platform they would be using. Many teachers already utilize programs such as Edmodo, Microsoft One Drive, Google Drive and Edgenuity. Teachers were also assigned “office hours” which would be designated times when students could reach out for help.

M-DCPS also made mobile devices available for any student that needed a device at home. Varela passed out tablets to more than 200 students and shared close to 300 devices with neighboring elementary schools that were short.

During the weeks of distance learning (not Spring Break) schools will provide hot grab-and-go meals for both breakfast and lunch between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. These meals will be prepared by M-DCPS food service personnel (M-DCPS). Now that Florida cases have risen to over 5,700 with 71 deaths, the time out of school is still unknown. Prevention

M-DCPS has taken proactive measures to help keep students and staff safe in their schools. Custodians have been instructed to use germicidal-Avistad D for daily cleaning and disinfecting. All bathrooms, door knobs, light switches, tables, chairs and water fountains will get special attention. The Florida Department of Health requires that paper towels and soap are available in bathrooms. All of the student bathrooms here at Varela have air dryers, so once hands are dry, doors should be opened with paper towels or sleeves. While schools are closed, all buildings are getting deep sanitization cleanings.

“Make sure you do the correct handwashing, at least lather for 20 seconds,” Nursing teacher Barbara Paulsen said. “They should be scrubbing between their fingers, on the side of their hands, the wrists, everything travels. Underneath their nails and dry their hands thoroughly.”

The CDC also recommends that everyone practice “social distancing.” This means maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other people, avoiding groups of people, and canceling/ rescheduling certain events.

"They are finding that alcohol kills it (germs) within 10 seconds,” Paulsen said. “Everyone should be carrying some sort of alcohol that is 70% or greater.”

Students wipe down their keyboards before starting their virtual classes. Principal Fins supplied all teachers with 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes. photo by E. Cardenas