(Kayla Bertholf and Melita Wiles, S&E Co-Editors)
The Omicron variant has started to die down nationwide from its surge a couple months ago, but we still need to remain vigilant. Many people have thought that since Omicron is less severe, it would be easiest to just get the variant to get it over with. Experts recommend against this. Here are a couple reasons why you should not purposely get it to ‘get it over with’:
1.) You could get long COVID-19. Losing your sense of smell and your sense of taste is not worth it, and around 20% of cases lose their taste and smell for longer than six months.
2.) You will overburden the health care system. Over last weekend, over 5,000 hospitals reported “critical staff shortage.” That number has never been larger, even during earlier times in the pandemic.
3.) You will be spreading the disease to children. Only half of children are fully vaccinated and about 20% of younger children have received their first dose.
4.) It is not a “bad cold.” You will have a fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat and congestion, leaving you debilitated for days. Any form of COVID-19 is a life-threatening disease.
5.) Do not mess with Mother Nature. Back in the day, people used to
host chicken-pox parties, where they would expose their healthy children to infected children. Many children died from the infection.
Overall, it is important to keep yourself and your community safe and healthy. Do things that can benefit others by wearing a mask, social-distancing and staying home when sick. It is still a deadly disease and you could possibly die or pass it on to someone you love.
