In the beginning of around early March, we first heard of the new highly contagious virus that did not have a vaccine. I did not think much of it, as there weren’t that many cases in our country to worry about. A week or two later, rumors started to spread saying that our school was going to be shut down due to this.
Regardless, we felt that that was not going to be the case, as the virus wasn’t as big of an issue for our school to close down. Then boom! One day, on what was turning out to be a regular weekend, the school gets shut down due to the precautionary orders declared by the government. To be perfectly honest, I, for one, was ecstatic when I got to know that the school was going to be shut down, and so were all my friends. But little did we know what was going to follow in this dramatic turn of events.
Fast forward a month into this, there is no vaccine and a rise in global and local cases, and we’re not allowed to leave our homes at all other than to purchase various essentials. Online classes began with a pretty rocky start, but it was a good and quick initiative taken by our school to make sure students don’t miss out on their education and preparation for the upcoming exams.
As a Grade 10th CBSE student, I would like to point out that this year is one of the most vital years for any CBSE student due to the CBSE Boards, which marks carry severe weightage in college applications.The CBSE boards is the main exam that is conducted for CBSE students throughout their entire education in the curriculum. This exam and its results are always going to be looked at by every college and job you apply to if you studied in CBSE, and it is only conducted once in 10th grade. One could say that this exam is like the SAT for students from other curriculums, although if you do want to pursue further education abroad as a CBSE student, you will need to take the SAT too. The education of students has taken a pretty big hit due to COVID-19, and even though the online classes are being conducted, it is nothing in comparison to the learning environment of a physical classroom.
It’s been 5 months since quarantine, and we are at a stage where everyone's lifestyle has changed to the point where staying at home day and night has worked its way into our everyday routine. Going out on a day to day basis now seems weird. It’s early August and, thankfully, there are a few signs that are starting to show that there may be a possible vaccine on the horizon. The vaccine that was developed by the Chinese government has now passed the first and second phases of testing and is now in Phase 3. This is the closest that any vaccine has come to being released globally.
The first phase is when researchers test the vaccine on varying age groups.A very small number of people are tested, these people are very closely monitored to look for any side effects of the vaccine and to see how effective the vaccine is against the virus. The second phase consists of a larger group of several hundred individuals. The goals of Phase II testing is to study the vaccine’s safety on the candidate, proposed doses, and method of delivery. The third phase which is the last phase before the vaccine is released on a global scale. They move on to larger trials, involving thousands to tens of thousands of people of different races and places of origin in order to make sure that no specified problem would arise against certain people due to environmental factors.
An activity that I would greatly suggest that everyone do on a weekly basis, in the least, would be physical exercise. I know you have probably heard this countless times throughout this quarantine but as a fellow student, I will tell you why physical activity is imperative. It is one of the very few things you can do during this time that relaxes your mind and
simultaneously provides a great workout to your body.The need to maintain shape is critical as it maintains your self-esteem, confidence and keeps you mentally healthy.
So far, 2020 has not been what I imagined it to be, and I assume that thought would be the same for almost everyone else. It has been one of the most disastrous and problematic years by far in my life, but I am not giving up hope so soon. Stay home, stay strong, and stay safe.
Comments