LA County is experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 and influenza cases, causing many students to fall ill due to the current high levels of virus transmissions.

With the change of COVID-19 guidelines in California, students may return to school if they test positive for the coronavirus and are asymptomatic. However, it is still recommended to wear a mask if you have the virus. Despite the ease in recommendations by the California Department of Public Health, practicing basic hygiene is essential to limiting the spread of deadly viruses.

“The upticks in students getting sick usually are because of the long weekends. On those following Mondays, the families have a flow of different conditions where we see symptoms of certain viruses or disease,” Nurse Kelly Kim said. “It’s up to the district about how they implement the new recommendations, but we would likely see a lot of cases being underreported. If you still feel out of tune, you should still stay home and rest.”

Kim also stresses the need to hand wash, cover your mouth and get adequate sleep. To her, good hygiene with a long rest is key to staying healthy and germ-free, which in turn helps build good habits to carry into students’ futures. 

“Students need to get sleep and eat well. It’s really important to get good rest on the weekends because it becomes easier to handle the school’s work load. Especially when sleeping, your body reaches its optimal best and builds your immune system,” Kim said. “Scrubbing and hand washing also kills germs and limits the spread of viruses on certain surfaces. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, flu and COVID-19 rates continue to rise throughout the state. Schools, high-risk areas for infection, become one of the most common hotspots for the spread of viruses.

“I’ve been washing my hands a lot and eating healthy, so that I can keep safe. I got sick during finals week, and it was really hard to study because I was really tired,” freshman Jordan Li said. “People spread germs when they share food and don’t wash their hands. That’s why it’s important to have good hygiene in general to not get sick.”

Junior Zimo Chen has also noticed that some of his classmates have been getting sick recently and believes that an uptick of cases may lead to another wave of colds. 

“I’m not trying to get sick. When I’m sick, I try not to get germs everywhere because those are responsible for why everyone gets sick. The weather doesn’t help with this because it’s really cold and people have weaker immunities, which may be why a lot of people are getting sick right now too” Chen said.