Let Us Assemble
A different perspective on the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Blake Powers, sports writer
A different perspective on the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Blake Powers, sports writer
According to the New York State Department of Health, as of November 23, 2020, the COVID-19 fatality count for the adolescent age group from 0 to 19 years of age totaled 17 deaths which is less than a percent of all Covid fatalities in New York. On the National level, CDC estimates this age group is held accountable for around 140 Covid deaths and yet that still is not even a percent of the total Covid fatalities in America. Unlike teens, the elderly contribute to the most deaths. In fact around, 94 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in America are people 50 years or older. How can many teens bounce back from this pandemic inducing disease while our older generations pass away at greater rates? I believe the answer lies within our biology.
As a person begins to age, their immune system declines in efficiency. Lisa M. Lines who is a master in public health wrote an article in 2011 explaining that the age group from 65 years and up tend to have a deficiency in the amount of “CD8+ cells, naive T cells, and B cells, all of which are involved in fighting infections.” Also that these older men and women often have a harder time with waste management. This includes problems with urinary/colon processes, and airway reflexes (blowing your nose; coughing). These general weaknesses which aren’t commonly associated with the teen population serve as a breeding ground for viral and bacterial microbes. This is because it is harder for older people to expel these toxins, and it is harder for their immune system to fight off infected cells. Therefore there may be a correlation between the effectiveness of one’s immune system and the severity of COVID-19 symptom’s as the older populations with generally weaker immunity are dieing more frequently than adolescents with generally a higher natural immunity.
Also out of all the confirmed 26,588 COVID-19 deaths in New York, 24,019 of them included people with underlying conditions. This means 90.2 PERCENT of all COVID deaths in New York have been prompted by conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, dementia, etc… So, the severity of symptoms is less in the adolescent age group because their immune systems are generally healthier than that of older men and women or those that already have an underlying disease. Even so, people can still improve their immune systems by exercising and nutrition. In a Harvard article, it was said that “the body’s immune response relies on the presence of many micronutrients,” sleep, and exercise, but it is unfortunate however that it is very difficult for students to get the necessary micronutrients, sleep, and exercise that they need to improve their immune system’s health. The weight room in Queensbury which was once free for students to enter and leave as they please is now restricted to specific times, and specific people. The two groups that are allowed in the weight room are currently students enrolled in Coach Martin’s Zero Block, an early morning group of students that workout before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as an Off Season group of students that are afterschool on the weekdays. Also, many after school activities and sports have either been postponed or canceled due to their risk level or inability to meet Covid guidelines. Without the weight room, afterschool programs, and sports many highschool students can’t exercise on the level that they had in previous years.
A possible way to reinvigorate our young athletes could be to set up sport combines. If you don’t already know, combines “are strictly for assessment of performance skills and attributes. Most combines will assess as many as a handful of attributes and skill-sets revolving around the athlete's ability to accelerate, jump, apply force to an external object, and change direction.”Almost like a field day, this would allow athletes to workout, whether it be in the gym, or on a field where they are socially distanced. Their skills can be individually showcased, and if all is well have video and stats of these athletes to give to colleges for recognition. That way they are meeting the guidelines of the state, improving their health, and advertising themselves in their resumes and to colleges. As for afterschool activities, all of them must find a way to meet up. If they can’t stay in school after hours then set up google meetings. Every student should have an issued chromebook. These afterschool programs are essential again for resumes and also for the mental wellbeing of our students.
It is time that we must rethink our idea of protective methods against this invisible enemy. We know that isolation, and face coverings reduce the spread of airborne disease, but we might overlook the question, what if I get COVID-19? Exercise, and nutrition could help. Our immune system is a natural barrier that can help us fight this virus if we take care of it. People must actively try to eat right, and try to exercise. However, because of restrictive measures put into place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it is hard to find community activities or gyms that haven’t put limitations into place or aren’t totally closed down. The least that can be done is to allow students to take charge of their own wellbeing; to be able to participate in afterschool activities and to workout with their peers when they wish to do so. Let us assemble.
As a person begins to age, their immune system declines in efficiency. Lisa M. Lines who is a master in public health wrote an article in 2011 explaining that the age group from 65 years and up tend to have a deficiency in the amount of “CD8+ cells, naive T cells, and B cells, all of which are involved in fighting infections.” Also that these older men and women often have a harder time with waste management. This includes problems with urinary/colon processes, and airway reflexes (blowing your nose; coughing). These general weaknesses which aren’t commonly associated with the teen population serve as a breeding ground for viral and bacterial microbes. This is because it is harder for older people to expel these toxins, and it is harder for their immune system to fight off infected cells. Therefore there may be a correlation between the effectiveness of one’s immune system and the severity of COVID-19 symptom’s as the older populations with generally weaker immunity are dieing more frequently than adolescents with generally a higher natural immunity.
Also out of all the confirmed 26,588 COVID-19 deaths in New York, 24,019 of them included people with underlying conditions. This means 90.2 PERCENT of all COVID deaths in New York have been prompted by conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, dementia, etc… So, the severity of symptoms is less in the adolescent age group because their immune systems are generally healthier than that of older men and women or those that already have an underlying disease. Even so, people can still improve their immune systems by exercising and nutrition. In a Harvard article, it was said that “the body’s immune response relies on the presence of many micronutrients,” sleep, and exercise, but it is unfortunate however that it is very difficult for students to get the necessary micronutrients, sleep, and exercise that they need to improve their immune system’s health. The weight room in Queensbury which was once free for students to enter and leave as they please is now restricted to specific times, and specific people. The two groups that are allowed in the weight room are currently students enrolled in Coach Martin’s Zero Block, an early morning group of students that workout before school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as an Off Season group of students that are afterschool on the weekdays. Also, many after school activities and sports have either been postponed or canceled due to their risk level or inability to meet Covid guidelines. Without the weight room, afterschool programs, and sports many highschool students can’t exercise on the level that they had in previous years.
A possible way to reinvigorate our young athletes could be to set up sport combines. If you don’t already know, combines “are strictly for assessment of performance skills and attributes. Most combines will assess as many as a handful of attributes and skill-sets revolving around the athlete's ability to accelerate, jump, apply force to an external object, and change direction.”Almost like a field day, this would allow athletes to workout, whether it be in the gym, or on a field where they are socially distanced. Their skills can be individually showcased, and if all is well have video and stats of these athletes to give to colleges for recognition. That way they are meeting the guidelines of the state, improving their health, and advertising themselves in their resumes and to colleges. As for afterschool activities, all of them must find a way to meet up. If they can’t stay in school after hours then set up google meetings. Every student should have an issued chromebook. These afterschool programs are essential again for resumes and also for the mental wellbeing of our students.
It is time that we must rethink our idea of protective methods against this invisible enemy. We know that isolation, and face coverings reduce the spread of airborne disease, but we might overlook the question, what if I get COVID-19? Exercise, and nutrition could help. Our immune system is a natural barrier that can help us fight this virus if we take care of it. People must actively try to eat right, and try to exercise. However, because of restrictive measures put into place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 it is hard to find community activities or gyms that haven’t put limitations into place or aren’t totally closed down. The least that can be done is to allow students to take charge of their own wellbeing; to be able to participate in afterschool activities and to workout with their peers when they wish to do so. Let us assemble.
Works Cited
Ahmadpoor, Pedram, and Lionel Rostaing. “Why the Immune System Fails to Mount an Adaptive Immune Response to a COVID‐19 Infection.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 25 Apr. 2020, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/tri.13611.
“Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, June 24–30, 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2020, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm#:~:text=The coronavirus disease 2019 .
Publishing, Harvard Health. “How to Boost Your Immune System.” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/staying- healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system#:~:text=Just like a healthy diet,and do their job efficiently.n.
“What Is a Sports Combine?: Sports & Athletic Performance.” Sharecare, www.sharecare.com/health/sports-and-athletic-performance/what-is-sports-combine.
“Workbook: NYS-COVID19-Tracker.” COVID19, covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVID19-Tracker/NYSDOHCOVID-19Tracker-Fatalities?:embed=yes&:toolbar=no&:tabs=n.
“Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, June 24–30, 2020.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2020, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm#:~:text=The coronavirus disease 2019 .
Publishing, Harvard Health. “How to Boost Your Immune System.” Harvard Health, www.health.harvard.edu/staying- healthy/how-to-boost-your-immune-system#:~:text=Just like a healthy diet,and do their job efficiently.n.
“What Is a Sports Combine?: Sports & Athletic Performance.” Sharecare, www.sharecare.com/health/sports-and-athletic-performance/what-is-sports-combine.
“Workbook: NYS-COVID19-Tracker.” COVID19, covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/views/NYS-COVID19-Tracker/NYSDOHCOVID-19Tracker-Fatalities?:embed=yes&:toolbar=no&:tabs=n.