Covid During Chicago Riots

 Living in the city of Chicago right now is not the best. People constantly live in fear because of the pandemic, especially since the city is so populated and everyone is packed on top of each other. On top of this, brutal riots have broken out throughout the summer, starting with the death of George Floyd. These riots are extremely violent; citizens smash through storefronts and steal anything in site, people run over cops, cops spray the crowds with tear gas and rubber bullets, cars set on fire, and thousands running without masks. The bridges surrounding Chicago were drawn, keeping everyone outside the city out, and everyone inside the city in. Not only do businesses have to worry about the decrease in business, but many did not make it out of the pandemic due to shop repairs and loss merchandise. The CDC also strongly recommends small gatherings, which is not followed during these riots. People are endangering the lives of the entire city, just by gathering for the riots. Covid can easily spread in that environment, and will only prolong the Chicago-Covid crisis. You currently have to quarantine for 14 days before entering Chicago if you are coming from out of state. This means that I have to quarantine for 14 days before I can go home to see my family, forcing me to stay by myself at UK with Covid. 

Our Covid Food Plan

 My family ate out A LOT more during the pandemic. My neighborhood is full of small, family owned restaurants that really felt the loss during the pandemic. My community stepped up and most of us ate out at least 2-3 times per week to make sure these businesses stay open. My mom even joined a Facebook group called "Western Springs Restaurants" where people would recommend certain restraints, promote specials and deals, and even assign what last names should eat out when to ensure every restaurant was accounted for. The only time that my family was worried during the pandemic about food was during the national meat shortage. We have a butcher shop in our community that always has very fresh meat, but during the shortage, they were selling out quickly. My family isn't necessarily "organic" but we definitely eat as healthy and fresh as we can. Both my parents were worried during the shortage that we wouldn't be able to get non-processed meat, but we ended up having plenty. Staying at the UK Covid dorm, they actually give us quite a bit of food. There's always an entree, 2 sides, and a dessert. I have found myself eating more with Covid than I did while staying in a dorm. The food is delivered to me, and it's cafeteria quality, which is what I would have eaten in the normal dorms. The picture below is my 2nd dinner in quarantine.

My Covid Information Source

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, I turned to the news to inform me on the pandemic, and any information that I needed. As time went on, I noticed that Covid started to become politicalized, and information shared was different depending on where you got it from. Once this happened, I took a break from listening to "Covid news". This was probably not the best decision because I was very uninformed about what the cases looked like, both in the US and globally, but I also was not staying updated on any new symptoms are precautions. My parents usually watch the same news outlet that I watch, so our information was the same. I do not trust social media, especially social media posts that teenagers post. Most of their posts about Covid are emotional, and promote something we should or shouldn't be doing. Instead of posting factual information about case numbers, deaths, or news about a vaccine, most people of my generation fight about the usage of masks, where to get trendy masks from, or if they even think the pandemic is real or not (yes, I did see a lot of posts claiming that the pandemic is made up). This whirlwind of information is worse than the actual pandemic itself. Causing mass panic and hysteria is not the way to go about a global pandemic, and will not make the stressful and tight situations we all have experienced any easier. The pandemic is dangerous; it's contagious and can seriously affect those who have compromised immune systems. If someone sees multiple posts claiming that it's not real, they might be inclined to participate in high risk activities, become infected, and prolong the pandemic.

First Week with Covid Symptoms

Monday 9/7 - I had a cough, but I can't tell if it's my allergies or if it's something else. My roommate and I joke that I have Covid, especially when people stare at me in the dining hall when I cough. I have no other symptoms though, so I'm fine. I'm excited for my allergies to go away though.

Tuesday 9/8 - Woke up this morning with a 102° fever. I barley slept because I had the cold sweats, fever dreams, and was coughing all night. I have isolated myself in my room, but haven't gotten a test. I still don't think I have Covid (which sounds stupid) but I can still taste and smell, and I always get sinus infections around this time. 

Wednesday 9/9 - I made an appointment with UHS to get a prescription for my sinus infection. She prescribed me a general antibiotic, but is still requiring me to get a Covid test to be safe. I am in Tier 2 UK mandatory isolation, meaning I can't see any of my friends, or go anywhere outside my room.

Thursday 9/10 - I got a call today that I am positive for Covid. My symptoms have gotten worse since Tuesday; I don't have a fever anymore, but my cough is worse, my chest is tight, it's harder to breathe, and I have a terrible headache. My abdomen hurts from coughing so much. My head is so congested. I moved into the isolation dorms today. This is going to be a LONG 2 weeks. The bed is comfortable, and it comes with a fridge and a microwave. I am not allowed to leave my room at all though, and I can't even do my own laundry! 

Friday 9/11 - Today is my first full day at the quarantine dorm. It's so lonely. The food is okay, but I still ordered groceries to get delivered so I have some option. My symptoms haven't gotten any better, but at least they're not any worse. It's hard watching everyone I know get to go outside and actually talk to people. Today, I just did some homework, watched some movies, and slept. Hoping this goes by quickly! The video above is my quarantine dorm, as well as my dinner that was dropped off that night.

When Will We Go Home?

 Personally, I think that we will stay on campus until November. First of all, the university would lose a lot of money if we transitioned to fully online. Many people would no longer wish to live in a dorm and many would require decrease in tuition. This might not be the most moral thing to base a decision off of, but it definitely will be a large impact on the university. Also, UK has an amazing Covid plan compared to other colleges. University of Iowa, for example, has not tested any of their students, which is allowing the virus to spread largely, and undetected, throughout the student body. This is putting all students at risk because they are never sure who truly has the disease, or who is just not feeling well due to allergies or a general cold. Meanwhile, UK just required the Covid hotspot organizations to be retested to help stop the spread.