For some people, the coronavirus is a very real possibility. It started gaining traction in late 2019, and it now has left China and spread to countries all over the world. 

The coronavirus started in China, and the earliest known cases surfaced Dec. 31, 2019, in Wuhan of the Hubei Province. It started spreading to other countries, including the United States. According to Mr. Stedman, “I heard about it on the news a while back, and I do think it could spread widely throughout the U.S. It is a virus, and it can be transmitted from person to person.”

The U.S.A. has now had 11 confirmed cases as of Feb. 3, 2020.

A student, Logan Antio, had this to say: “When it was first announced, I didn’t think anything of it. Now I think if someone has it, they should stay inside and be careful.” Even Australia, the country which has had probably the worst year ever due to raging fires, has confirmed to have some cases of it.

Another student, Grant Bebow, says, “I don’t think it could kill nearly as many people as the black death, but I think it does have a possibility of flooding the U.S. and killing many people.” 

Of course, the black death killed 50 million people, but there are other viruses such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has killed over 36 million people. 

Stedman offered advice to people who have coronavirus: “The best thing is to wash your hands, avoid touching your face, drink plenty of water, and get a good night’s rest. If you get sick, stay home so as to not infect anybody.”