Andrew Gimpel

It is not an exaggeration to say that the Corona Virus, COVID-19, changed the world. Emerging in Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID quickly slithered into every corner of the world and impacted nearly every aspect of daily culture. For three entire years society and culture have needed to adapt to accommodate this new neighbor on the world stage, whose malignant touch ushered physical malfunctions, exhaustion, and, in some cases, outright death. Recently the virus has been resurfacing, especially within this very college campus at Penn State Abington. I feel that with so much time lost because of this pandemic, it is pivotal for students and staff to understand the physical effects of this malignancy as well as methods to contain it–things that became relevant in my own life.

In the short term, and as I had experienced, the most immediate effects are headaches, dry throat, runny nose, coughing, fatigue, stomach and chest pain, and general inability to function. During this stage it is recommended to immediately isolate oneself from nearby occupants if one lives with others, and luckily due to the American infrastructure’s reliance on electronic telecommunication, we’re at a decent point in time to perform our jobs even within the confines of our own homes. Within a week the symptoms should dissipate, according to the official CDC website.

 That isn’t always the case, however. In some instances, symptoms remain long after the virus has supposedly dissipated. According to the Mayo Clinic, joint and muscle pain may continue to linger, blood clots and other vascular functions begin experiencing discrepancies, rashes appear, and even neurological deficiencies begin to manifest such dizziness and loss of taste and hearing.

As I write this, I myself am enduring the effects of COVID after taking a government-provided test. To me, it feels like an exhausting, persistent cold, but nothing much more than that. There is no debilitating pain or breathing difficulties; it’s merely an annoyance. But my case is by no means a general depiction of every victim afflicted with the virus, which, as I mentioned before, could lead to fatal results. The situation is no less dire even if I’m spared the brunt of the infection. Two students in a seven student class I attended have also just received news that they have contracted the disease and remain absent. They can look forward to a week of isolation from friends and family, online class meetings, constant exhaustion, and restless sleep from subconscious efforts to fight off the virus. While I myself managed to bounce back relatively quickly thanks to understanding instructors, it was still a race to keep pace with the rest of the course, and it was difficult to discern how my grades would be affected due to some assignments being either late or disregarded due to my absence (which were simply results of oversight, not direct actions of my instructors.)

As COVID rears its ugly head once again, I think it’s important that college staff and professors understand the importance of reintegrating students back into the curriculum as they’re recuperating from this illness. Instructors should make it a priority to talk with students to understand where in the course plan they previously were before contracting COVID. Time should be allotted so that students can complete assignments they fell behind and have the opportunity to catch up to their peers. Students should ask questions about what subjects they missed and what methods they should use to expedite the process. Many say COVID is nothing more than a ghost, but I say it remains a spirit that still haunts us.