By Valeria Velasco, News & Sports Editor
January, 2022
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses the new omicron variant has taken the country by storm. According to the NPR, the omicron variant is less severe than the delta variant, and it is still putting people in the hospital. The CDC statistics state that the total cases in the past 30 days (as of January 11, 2022) had risen to 60,240, 751 million in the US, with 853,302 deaths. But not only is this strand in the US but in South Africa, Botswana, and the United Kingdom. While vaccinated people are still being infected with COVID-19, the hospitalization rate is low.
When interviewing Alexa Gonzalez, a KIPP Austin Collegiate junior, about this new variant this is what she said.
Do you feel safe attending school?
Alexa Gonzales: I wouldn’t say I feel safe because even though masks are mandated in school, I still see people walking around with their masks down or taken off completely. I also know people aren’t taking sufficient precautions to avoid being infected, so I feel like it could be easy to contract COVID.
Would you feel safer in virtual school?
AG: Even though I wouldn’t want to stay home again, I would feel safer at home because there I won’t be around so many people all the time and I wouldn’t risk contracting COVID.
Do rising cases make you anxious?
AG: Yes, because in this round of COVID, people that I know had or have COVID now. Back then, it wasn’t something I worried about because no one I knew had it. I feel like it’s riskier to go out now because it’s closer than I think. All I know is that I’m glad I haven’t gotten COVID, and I hope I don’t get it in the future.
What can Austin do to stop the spread of this new variant?
AG: I feel quarantining should be taken more seriously because we are in Stage 5, and no one is treating it that way. I also feel that some businesses should reduce their hours or close their locations to avoid people going out, only until COVID cases decrease.
Erik Gonzales, another KAC junior, had this to say about the omicron variant as well.
Do you feel safe with attending in-person school?
Erik Gonzales: I feel safe attending school when I see all of my peers have masks on. I do feel safe because I know that the people around me know what to do to keep themselves and others safe.
Would you feel safer if they were in virtual school?
EG: I would feel safer in virtual school because everyone is in an enclosed environment and away from crowds of people.
Do rising cases make you anxious?
EG: They do because it just shows me that we are not doing our best to stay safe and my friends and family are more likely to get it.
What can Austin do to stop the spread of this new variant?
EG: I think we should go on lockdown for another short while it worked last time we were on lockdown but as soon as we got out of it the cases started going up.
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