Why has there been such a drastic increase in COVID-19 cases?

Ever since prom, there has been a drastic increase in COVID-19 cases at Ventura High School. Although I’m sure cases were spiking before the dance, the amount of cases after the dance isn’t a coincidence. Along with a few friends of mine I’ve heard about multiple different people who have COVID-19 at the moment. This spike in cases is concerning, it seems like COVID-19 will be in our lives for a while, however not as extreme and just in waves. According to By California All “From May 16, 2022 to May 22, 2022, unvaccinated people were 5.0 times more likely to get COVID-19 than people who received their booster dose.” This shows that the rise in cases was not a coincidence. 

From recent studies, scientists believe that COVID-19 will turn into an endemic. The title endemic means that we will live with this virus, it won’t have an abrupt end however it will more or less level out; just like the flu and other illnesses. A Harvard article from Aug. 2021 titled “What will it be like when COVID-19 becomes endemic?” by Karen Feldscher claims “The expectation that COVID-19 will become endemic essentially means that the pandemic will not end with the virus disappearing; instead, the optimistic view is that enough people will gain immune protection from vaccination and from natural infection such that there will be less transmission and much less COVID-19-related hospitalization and death, even as the virus continues to circulate.” 

With this virus shifting more into the endemic status, there has still been a spike in cases specifically at VHS. From recent studies however, it doesn’t seem that this is an accurate consensus for all of Ventura. There doesn’t seem to be a drastic spike in cases throughout the city, it is more seen within this school. 

Junior Kai Navaratte said, “I have been out since mid Tuesday, so about eleven days.” Along with Naveratte, other VHS teens have come down with COVID-19 right now, like junior Cecelia Perez who came down with COVID-19 around the same time as Naveratte. “About a month ago, I think I got it from prom, It was actually awful, I felt so bad.” Her symptoms were very intense and they lasted a while, she said “I was out for a week.”

Junior Cecelia Perez came down with COVID-19 as well, right after prom. To be exact she said, “About a month ago, I think I got it from prom.” She said, “It was actually awful, I felt so bad. I was out for a week.”       

Overall, people getting COVID-19 so rapidly is very scary. I hope that in the future we don’t have to go through such a heavy wave of people getting COVID-19.