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The SOARce
Mar 11, 20207 min read

The SOARce's Local COVID-19 Update

Updated: Aug 31, 2022

By Cullen Stockdale


NOTE: All information on this page is being updated and is subject to change: last reviewed March 13th, 2020, 9 PM PST.


QUESTIONS, ADDITIONS, UPDATES, OR CONCERNS:

Email Journalism Here: thesoarcestars@gmail.com

The Author: cullenstockdale@gmail.com / (661) 974-9852


Our goal is for everybody to stay safe and informed regarding the COVID-19, or novel Coronavirus. Make sure to get your information from reliable sources and understand how severe the situation is around the globe. We do not mean to cause unreasonable panic.



HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THESE:


Looking for discussion and a community around the Coronavirus?

As always, make sure to check all the information given is reliable.

This image displays a 3D model of the protein structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Source: https://www.instagram.com/larryin3d/


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Local Events and Important Updates:


March 13th, 2020:

  • President Trump Declares a National State of Emergency which will allow faster responses to cases as well as more access to funds and resources. Read about it in more detail here:


  • SOAR is CLOSED! (As well as the rest of AVUHSD) Here is the message below:

"Dear AVUHSD Parents and Students, We are continuing to navigate an unprecedented public health crisis in our community, our state and much of the world. Since the COVID-19 Coronavirus first emerged, we have followed the guidance of the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the California Department of Public Health in making preventative changes in our schools and programs. As this situation continues to evolve, the Los Angeles County Office of Education has now recommended school closures throughout Los Angeles County. The Antelope Valley Union High School District will extend spring break, beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, with a plan for students to return to schools on Monday,  April 6, 2020. During this time, all schools, activities, including athletic events and practices, are canceled. We are working on identifying ways to provide meals to students during this time.  Specific information will be provided through Parent Link email, the AVUHSD App, Facebook, and Instagram.

During the break, we encourage everyone in our community to follow recommended practices by avoiding large gatherings, washing hands frequently, and covering mouths when coughing or sneezing. If you are concerned about symptoms, please consult with a doctor.

We will continue to monitor this very dynamic public health situation and will plan to provide updates during the course of this extended break. All District correspondence will be sent via email, posted on our app and our website, as well as posted on our District Facebook and Instagram pages.

Thank you for your support and cooperation during this time.

Sincerely, David J. Vierra Ph.D."


  • No school at AVC on Monday! More updates soon to come. Once again view the message below:

"Good Afternoon,


In light of the actions, this afternoon of the AVUHSD and PSD, Antelope Valley College will be closed for all classes on Monday, March 16, 2020. We will treat this day as a "snow" day special closure. All faculty and staff are released except those included in the following events.


  • The Special Board Meeting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. will be held.

  • The special Executive Council meeting with campus leadership will be held at 9:00 a.m. as planned. Further alternatives will be planned and decided.

  • LASD presence on campus required as scheduled.

  • Future actions will be published no later than 3:00 p.m. Monday, March 16.

  • Please check the website and alert communications for further updates.

  • As always, follow the preventive measures, stay in touch with the college and instructors, check email and website for updates. Stay hydrated, get rest, protect yourself and your families,


Ed Knudson


Ed Knudson

President

Antelope Valley College"


March 5th, 2020 - A Statement by a quarantined nurse from a northern California Kaiser facility:


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General Information:


What are COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2?

Commonly known as the Coronavirus, the COVID-19 is the novel Coronavirus that started in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. "Novel" means that it is a disease that has never been seen before. SARS-CoV-2 refers to the virus itself, because of its similarity to the SARS Coronavirus, while COVID-19 refers to the disease which is caused by SARS-CoV-2.



Should I be worried about sudden spikes in cases?

No, there are many places where outbreaks occur, and there are suddenly many more cases than recently before that time, but this is because of testing. When there is a large increase in the amount of testing done for the COVID-19 in an area, there is bound to be more cases than before, but this does not change the number of cases there were beforehand, it just helps us be more aware of them. In fact, this is a good thing, with a better grasp of the situation and how many are affected by the virus in an area, we can be better equipped and prepared to care for those infected.


Virus Mutation and Spread

"Will the Coronavirus mutate?" is a big question, although the answer may seem more complicated than it is. Of course, it will. The virus uses rDNA, which is genetic material, to reproduce and create more viruses. When we think of mutation, it usually causes fear and mass changes to mind, when in reality mutation happens constantly on a very small scale. So, yes, the SARS-Cov-2 virus will mutate, it is always mutating, but this will only become relevant if it mutates in a way that is advantageous towards its survival, which is unlikely because most mutations just die out within the span of an outbreak or pandemic based on past discoveries about coronavirus outbreaks.


How long does the virus live on hard surfaces? According to the CDC, the virus is believed to be transmittable from hard surfaces that have respiratory droplets from an infected person on them, but transmission occurs much more commonly through interaction between humans. Respiratory droplets can spread from hands, breathing (although it is not airborne), coughing, sneezing, or anything else that will cause respiratory droplets to enter into a body. This is why the advice to resist touching your face and to wash your hands often is very very important to follow.


Sources: (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829448/




How does it affect the body?

Although the Novel Coronavirus is still being studied and we are learning more about it, we DO know about the family of Coronaviruses from the SARS and MERS Coronaviruses. Here is how National Geographic explains it:


"After the SARS outbreak, the World Health Organization reported that the disease typically attacked the lungs in three phases: viral replication, immune hyper-reactivity, and pulmonary destruction.


Not all patients went through all three phases—in fact only 25 percent of SARS patients suffered respiratory failure, the defining signature of severe cases. Likewise, COVID-19, according to early data, causes milder symptoms in about 82 percent of cases, while the remainder are severe or critical.


Look deeper, and the novel coronavirus appears to follow other patterns of SARS, says University of Maryland School of Medicine associate professor Matthew B. Frieman, who studies highly pathogenic coronaviruses.


In the early days of an infection, the novel coronavirus rapidly invades human lung cells. Those lung cells come in two classes: ones that make mucus and ones with hair-like batons called cilia.


Mucus, though gross when outside the body, helps protect lung tissue from pathogens and make sure your breathing organ doesn’t dry out. The cilia cells beat around the mucus, clearing out debris like pollen or viruses.

Frieman explains that SARS loved to infect and kill cilia cells, which then sloughed off and filled patients’ airways with debris and fluids, and he hypothesizes that the same is happening with the novel coronavirus. That’s because the earliest studies on COVID-19 have shown that many patients develop pneumonia in both lungs, accompanied by symptoms like shortness of breath.


That’s when phase two and the immune system kicks in. Aroused by the presence of a viral invader, our bodies step up to fight the disease by flooding the lungs with immune cells to clear away the damage and repair the lung tissue.


When working properly, this inflammatory process is tightly regulated and confined only to infected areas. But sometimes your immune system goes haywire and those cells kill anything in their way, including your healthy tissue.


“So you get more damage instead of less from the immune response,” Frieman says. Even more debris clogs up the lungs, and pneumonia worsens.


During the third phase, lung damage continues to build—which can result in respiratory failure. Even if death doesn’t occur, some patients survive with permanent lung damage. According to the WHO, SARS punched holes in the lungs, giving them “a honeycomb-like appearance”—and these lesions are present in those afflicted by novel coronavirus, too.


These holes are likely created by the immune system’s hyperactive response, which creates scars that both protect and stiffen the lungs.


When that occurs, patients often have to be put on ventilators to assist their breathing. Meanwhile, inflammation also makes the membranes between the air sacs and blood vessels more permeable, which can fill the lungs with fluid and affect their ability to oxygenate blood.


“In severe cases, you basically flood your lungs and you can’t breathe,” Frieman says. “That’s how people are dying.” " Source: (National Geogrpahic) https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/here-is-what-coronavirus-does-to-the-body/#close)


Source: (US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829448/



Is there a cure?

The WHO says:


"Even if COVID-19 is unavoidable, delaying infections can flatten the peak number of illnesses to within hospital capacity and significantly reduce deaths."


What can we do about it?

Help Stop the Spread!

Although at the moment we do not have a treatment or cure, there is a lot we can do to help stop the spread of the COVID-19. It spreads mainly through respiratory droplets, which are released into the air through coughing and sneezing. To get the virus, you must come into contact with people carrying the virus or touch a surface it is living on, and then it must enter your system through outlets to your body such as your nose or mouth. The virus is estimated to live on hard surfaces for around a few hours, or possibly several days, but the former is more likely. (See https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses) Avoid touching your face without washing your hands first for at least 20 seconds under warm water. Seriously - you'd be surprised how much this can prevent the spread of the virus. Always keep in mind other good hygiene habits, especially staying home when sick.


Contribute Processing Power!

Have extra or idle computers at home? Set them up to be used as processing power for scientific research around the world!


Foldit!

Fold.it is a website that creates 3D models of the virus, bacteria, protein, and other structures and creates games out of them in hopes to find cures or treatments for some of these occurrences. Such exists for the COVID-19!



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All Sources Used and Further Reading:

(US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1829448/

(Antelope Valley College) https://www.avc.edu/novel-coronavirus

(Antelope Valley Union High School District) https://www.avdistrict.org/schools/covid-19-updates

(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) https://www.pnas.org/content/105/26/9065


Further Watching: (Dr. Mike Videos Ordered from latest to oldest)

NOTE: These videos were produced as we learn more about the COVID-19 and some information may be outdated.




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