Covid-19: Five years later

March 13, 2020, is a day that is forever engraved in my head. I was a sophomore in high school, sitting in my last period class at Carbon High. My past principal, Chris Winfree, came over the intercom, “Students: Chromebooks and all other materials needed for schoolwork must be taken home.” 

I remember running to my grandpa’s truck at the end of the day, “Grandpa, I think that we are going into quarantine.” Little did I know that this day would be the start of the craziest and worst year of my life. 

COVID-19, also known as the Coronavirus, is a highly contagious respiratory virus. 

According to the article, “About COVID-19,” by the CDC states, “COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia. COVID-19 may attack more than your lungs and respiratory system. Other parts of your body may also be affected by the disease. Most people with COVID-19 have mild symptoms, but some people become severely ill.” 

The virus is spread through contamination of an infected person to an uninfected person through small particles. It can be spread in close contact or through breathing in those released particles. A less common way of contamination is through touching surfaces where the virus may also be lying. 

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused many repercussions in different aspects. Naming a few of its “victims”: education, health, travel, religious worship, and vaccines. 

EDUCATION:

Like stated above, I was a sophomore in high school when the pandemic first started. What started as a “two-week break” from school turned into a five-month period without being able to pursue my education in person. 

According to the article, “U.S. Education in the Time of COVID,” by the National Center for Education Statistics, states, “In spring 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of American schools transitioned to distance education models. During this period, 77 percent of public schools moved to online distance learning, and 84 percent of college students reported having some or all classes moved to online-only instruction. Overall, 27 percent of undergraduate students received a tuition refund from their institutions in spring 2020.” 

Many schools in our area implemented new bell schedules, required masks/COVID-19 testing, and provided accommodations for Zoom. Activities brought limited seating, sports games saw no cheering fans, and productions were brought to a halt. 

Schools are still using the same resources they made during COVID-19. Many institutions still use Zoom and online classes to help teach more students. According to the article, “Education and the COVID-19 pandemic,” by Sir John Daniel, states, “The expansion of online learning in tertiary education will further accelerate, and schools will organize themselves more systematically to pursue the aspects of technology-based learning that they have found most useful.”

TRAVEL:

When it came to travel, many countries around the world imposed strict restrictions on their citizens and noncitizens. The travel industry was one of the sectors severely affected by the pandemic. Many countries’ economies that rely on travelers were affected negatively trying to make sense of what was happening. Travelers were required to be tested, provide proof of vaccination, and wear masks while traveling. 

RELIGIOUS WORSHIP:

The way that people were allowed to attend religious worship changed during the pandemic. According to the article, “5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19,” by Alec Tyson, Michael Lipka, and Claudia Deane states, “In July 2020, just 6% of Americans who attend services at least monthly said that their house of worship was open to the public and operating like normal. Like remote work, the share of Americans who report watching religious services online or on TV peaked early in the pandemic, with 36% saying they participated virtually in the last month as of July 2020. And many are still doing so today.”

Personally, attending religious service during this time felt wearying and also comforting. I attend St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Helper, Utah. During this time, we were allowed to attend Mass, but precautions were taken. 

Everyone was required to wear a mask, pews had to be sanitized after each session, we weren’t allowed to give each other the sign of peace, and we couldn’t share in typical Eucharistic rituals. 

Many people around the world found comfort in watching church services from home, attending in person, or taking a break due to safety/health concerns. 

WHAT IT WAS LIKE WORKING IN THE HOSPITALS:

COVID-19 was a draining time for health care workers. Overwhelmed by the uproar in patient numbers, limited number of supplies, and the constant fear of contracting the virus, this was a very dark time for all of them. 

Jashea Migliori, a registered nurse, recalls having to push past the fear to be there for her patients. “Working in the hospital during COVID was scary, isolating, defeating, sad, but you had to do what no one else could do; set aside fear and show up for the patients. We were their only family,” she said. 

Many nurses risked their own lives to hold patients’ hands while they passed away, give them warm blankets, and be their temporary family while they were in the hospital. 

DEATH: 

According to the World Health Organization, over 7.1 million people have died due to this virus. Of those deaths, 1.2 million have occurred in the United States. The number of deaths is still rising as people are still being affected. 

I know personally the effect of watching a person die from the COVID-19 virus. My grandfather, Joe Bonacci, was the 11th person in Carbon County to die from this virus. 

My grandfather, like many others, was immunocompromised. Being a three-time cancer survivor left him with many health conditions: Parkinson’s disease, Neuropathy, and a weak autoimmune system.

My grandfather started presenting symptoms of the virus on Oct. 26, 2020. Those symptoms: shortness of breath, cough, light-headedness, congestion, led him to be brought to the hospital two times in the span of three days. The second time, he was sent home with an oxygen tank. 

The third hospital visit happened on Nov. 2, 2020. Castleview Hospital is where my grandfather would spend his final days on Earth. 

My grandfather was immediately placed in the Intensive Care Unit and placed on a BiPap machine. This is a noninvasive device that delivers oxygen through a mask, helping the patient to breathe more effectively. 

On Nov. 5, 2020, my grandfather’s condition worsened, and we were informed that he would be intubated and placed on a ventilator. The ventilation was a “roller-coaster ride,” to put it quite frankly. His condition would change: my family would gain both good and bad news. 

On Nov. 11, 2020, at 12:09 p.m., my grandpa Joe took his final breath and was finally put out of his suffering from this virus. While most people around the world saw his death as adding to a statistic, my family lost a father, grandfather, uncle, brother, and friend. 

Unfortunately, while my grandpa was in the hospital, due to restrictions, no one was able to visit him. My aunt, Shelli Bonacci, is a radiology technician at Castleview Hospital, and was able to check in on him, giving us updates.

“Five years ago during COVID-19 the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) felt so lonely. Patients laid in silence with only the constant sounds of a ventilator taking each and every breath for them,” said Shelli Bonacci. 

“In one of those beds was home to someone I loved. I would visit daily watching through a window, separated by glass, distance, and helplessness I will never forget. I still have a hard time going into ICU Bed 1,” she said. 

This virus has a straightforward goal: to take everything good and destroy it. This virus took my hero, parts of my high school experience, and time away from my teen years, I will never get back.