FOR THE INDIVIDUAL
Amanda Funger | Avant-Youth
Avant-Youth is an Atlanta-based newsmagazine of the youth, devoted entirely to covering its residents and neighboring humans. We provide original reporting, retain editorial independence and collaborate with our readers to offer helpful, actionable news and information.
Our hope is that we achieve engaged citizenry early, because it’s messy out there.
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As she walks around Target, Kayla McManus-Viana, an undergraduate at the Georgia Institute of Technology, feels like something is crushing her chest. Her fingers fidget, she says, as she sees all of the customers without masks.
College students across the country found themselves devastated and quite frankly, ignored. Like many people, their plans were cut short or cancelled altogether. There were no more classes, no formals, no more studying in the library and no graduation. While these all seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, they were important to the individuals involved.
Under normal circumstances, there are simple ways to cope with an eating disorder flare-up. Since COVID-19 has literally locked us all indoors, alone with our thoughts, phones and refrigerators, healthy coping mechanisms seem out of reach – but not impossible.
“They’re trying to kill us,” said Craig Bowie, an Atlanta school counselor.
This is the sentiment expressed by many Black people in regards to COVID-19.
Social distancing is both necessary and hard. Separating from others goes against basic human needs for companionship and connection that everyone feels, yet the challenge of social distancing may be especially difficult for teenagers, because it contradicts much of what being a teenager is all about.
COVID-19 has drastically altered the way we live. Although the virus is different from the 1918 flu, we’re still experiencing a shut down that the world has only experienced during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Our lives have been, for the most part, disrupted.
Like individuals, small businesses make plans to grow every year. While the ‘rona continues to plague everyone with unexpected challenges, one barbecue restaurant in Marietta has found light in the darkness.
Beyond the ‘rona media cycle, my first moments of having the gravity of the situation put into perspective was at my job at a major retailer that primarily sells electronic goods. Shortly after my last shift, I became short of breath with a tightness in my chest and also developed a dry cough.
Thanks to the “rona,” we’re all stuck at home. Nonetheless we need each other, so consider some ways to cope with the isolation and to stay connected with friends.
DATA SOURCE Courtesy of Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering
GRAPHIC DESIGN Courtesy of SciLine
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL and PREVENTION (CDC)
– PSA’s (audio and PDF; English and Spanish)
– Videos (in American sign language)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
GEORGIA DEPT. OF PUBLIC HEALTH
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PSA’s: (1) CHECK if you should get tested for the ‘rona. (2) THERE are testing centers all over the STATE OF GEORGIA, including a free drive-thru center at GEORGIA TECH. (3) TLC if you’ve fallen ill, but more importantly, #stayhome. (4) DONATE blood if you’ve recovered from the disease – this can help medical experts develop a cure [or other remedies to reduce symptoms or the likelihood of death]. Appreciate y’all.
