With the height of the Covid-19 pandemic starting to die down, many people are starting to return back to their new normal. It seems as if many illnesses that used to always be on people’s minds have been blocked due to the stress of Covid. 

Many common illnesses like influenza, (the flu), have been forgotten about, but still spread around schools and workplaces. The flu can be spread through droplets that are released into the air by those who are contagious when they cough, “talk”, or sneeze. 

As we get farther into the fall and winter, the flu is more easily spread. Plenty of high school students have already gotten the flu this school year, and it is rapidly spreading throughout many students. 

Some ways to keep safe from the flu include staying home when you feel or are sick, always cleaning your hands, covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze, and using a mask to help from spreading the sickness to others. 

As we all know, being home from school can cause stress. Missing lots of classes in a school week is hard, especially in high school. Many students who have already experienced the flu this year have expressed that only missing a few days of school is already allowing for work to pile up, and even tuning into classes on google meet, as we all know, is not the same. 

New strains of the flu are really hitting people’s immune systems hard, as we haven’t been exposed to them before. “‘We suspect that many children are being exposed to some respiratory viruses now for the first time, having avoided these viruses during the height of the pandemic,’  said Dr. Jose Romero, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a call with reporters,” (CNN). 

Making sure all students at all schools stay safe is definitely a priority. Ever since Covid-19, many people have been more careful about avoiding illnesses, but in the past few months many have let loose, and have truly forgotten what simple illnesses can do to one’s body and immune system. 

Keeping yourself protected while at school may just be the most important way to keep us all safe from the flu this year.