(First delivered as a speech 18 December 2020. Adapted to include current data.)

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

Today, according to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Dashboard, 598,707 deaths and more than 33 million cases have been confirmed in the United States alone.

Worldwide, more than 3.7 million people have died of Covid 19. Over 2.2 billion doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to JHU.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

Over the past year, Coronavirus has impacted everyone and has made a huge impact on the world that I am sure nobody will ever forget. Because of Coronavirus, I have missed countless dance competitions and rehearsals, summer camp, going to school in person, family vacations, and so much more. I haven’t been able to see my family outside of Los Angeles in such a long time due to Covid and I cannot wait for all of this to be over.

My wish is that the Coronavirus rates will decrease soon and that a vaccine will be accessible to us as soon as possible so that everyone can go back to living a normal life where we don’t have to social distance with people and wear masks everywhere we go anymore.

I also hope that the people who are currently sick and in the hospital have a speedy recovery and that people who are not careful about Covid will learn that their actions are what is causing so many people to get so sick.

The outcome of Covid getting better is that we can finally go back to school in person and continue living our normal lives.

The obstacles that are in the way are the people who don’t wear masks when they go out, don’t want to get vaccinated, and don’t try to help solve the problem. People who are ignorant and don’t follow the rules are not part of the solution and are making things so much worse for everyone.

We can overcome these hurdles by enforcing the rules and making sure that everyone follows them in order to slow the spread of the virus and keep everyone safe. In December 2020, in the United States alone, there were 20,238 deaths reported due to Covid-19. As of December 11, 2020, there were a total of 1.49 million cases of Covid-19 in the United States.

 It is crazy to me how many people are getting sick and it hurts knowing how many of them passed away from the virus. I cannot imagine what their loved ones and close friends and relatives are going through right now.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “It is possible that COVID-19 may spread through the droplets and airborne particles that are formed when a person who has COVID-19 coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes.” The Washington State Department of Health advises, “If neither person is wearing a face-covering and is less than 6 feet apart, the chance of spreading Covid-19 is very high. Both wearing a face-covering and at least 6 feet apart, the chance of getting Covid-19 is very low.”

In other words, if you stay 6 feet apart from the person you are with and you are both wearing a mask, there is a very minimal chance of the virus being contracted compared to when both people are not wearing a mask and are less than six feet apart.

According to WebMD Health News, “The virus has been detected in tears and conjunctival swab specimens from individuals with COVID-19. If someone rubs their eyes and then touches someone else or touches a surface, that kind of transmission mechanism could occur.”

To summarize, Covid can be spread through your eyes if someone who has the virus touches their eyes and then touches something that will be touched by someone else. A way to prevent the spread of the virus is to make sure you’re constantly washing your hands to get rid of any germs and bacteria on your hands and make sure not to touch your eyes that often if possible. Whenever I go out I always carry around with me hand sanitizer to make sure that I am staying extra safe and being extra careful because you can never be too careful. Additionally, making sure that you are always wearing a mask when you leave your house will help a lot with preventing the spread of the virus.