People around the world are still suffering from COVID-19 as a rise in cases has been seen with the start of flu season.
Social Distancing rules have been in effect, making life look different for many. People are still able to live on with their day to day lives as long as they wear a mask.
But what happens when a person gets COVID-19? Should they feel embarrassed about getting it? Should they tell people that they have it?
“I think there is an assumption that when you contract COVID-19 that it is because you weren’t following national guidelines or regulations. That isn’t the case at all,” Pre-optometry senior Stacey Jacobs said.
Jacobs said she has been sick once already this year and follows the social distancing rules to the best of her ability. She is an employee at Walgreens here in Big Rapids, and practices safe handwashing to the best of her ability and wears a mask but is exposed to sick people frequently.
The assumption that people acquired COVID-19 from a lack of precaution can make them feel ashamed to admit that they contracted the virus. Jacobs said that this is a big reason why so many people are afraid to talk about having it.
As of right now in the United States there are 9.76 million cases of COVID-19. In Michigan, as of Nov. 5, there are 218,000 cases. There has been an increase in COVID-19 cases over the past couple of months.
COVID-19 isn’t something that people should be embarrassed to talk about. Organizations and students across the Ferris campus have been seeing a rise in case themselves. When people don’t talk about it, it can put even more people at risk of contracting the virus.
When someone has COVID-19 or has been in contact with someone that has it, they are asked to self-isolate for 14 days.
Psychology junior Brittany Decker said that COVID-19 can be a scary thing for people to talk about. Decker said that COVID-19 has affected everyone’s lives and that people, especially the younger generation like to think that they are invincible to it.
“I can see why people don’t want to speak about COVID,” Decker said. “I do believe though that if you have it you don’t need to tell the world but tell your friends and family so that they can keep themselves safe. I feel like the more we talk about it the fear of it will go down.”
Decker said that she has not had COVID-19 herself and takes the necessary precautions to make sure that she won’t get it. She did self-isolate during the major peaks of COVID-19 to help reduce the chances of herself getting it. Decker said if people would just wear a mask and follow the guidelines, this will be over before we know it.
COVID-19 is an issue that people should be afraid to address. Only by addressing the issue can we have hope that we will be able to decrease the numbers.
KJ