Letter to the Editor
My fellow WWU students,
“At least one student is going to come back with Coronavirus,” my friend predicted. Whether you are traveling or staying in Bellingham over spring break, let’s try our best to prevent this prediction from coming true.
While young adults are not at higher risk for dying from Coronavirus, many students at Western have underlying health conditions. These students, including me, can have weak immune systems and are at a higher risk of fatality from COVID-19.
Many of my friends with underlying health conditions are staying home in fear of contracting the virus from students who may have been exposed to it already.
Please practice good hygiene and take traveling precautions seriously over spring break, because someone else’s life may depend on it. You may come back and transmit the virus to your immunocompromised peers and friends unknowingly. Even though young adults do not have higher risk of serious complications, research shows that permanent lung damage can occur anyway.
So, for the sake of yourself and your peers with underlying health conditions, be safe by practicing good hygiene and taking traveling precautions seriously over spring break. You can find more information on the Center for Disease Control, Whatcom County Health Department, and Washington State Department of Health websites.
Sincerely,
A student with an underlying health condition
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