Alexis Luu/Health Head
Generation Z is many things. We are resilient. We are innovative. We are powerful. Yet, when tested with life or death, our generation fails to take the appropriate precautions to ensure the safety of themselves and others. What’s worse is that our generation is the one that is most prone to spreading this deadly virus. According to a recent study conducted in South Korea, adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are more likely to spread coronavirus than adults over 19 and children under 10. Nearly 60,000 people who had contact with coronavirus patients were analyzed from January through March. In homes where the first person was in between the ages of 10 and 19, 18.6% of their household contacts caught the virus. Meanwhile, only 5.3% of the contacts of younger children ages 0-9 were infected. These numbers show that teens and tweens can contract and spread COVID-19 to a much higher degree than originally thought.
Many teenagers are still ignoring coronavirus safety measures, however. Most teens have adopted a selfish attitude and say that they don’t care if they get it, or that it is “no big deal”. Their blatant disregard for public safety stems from the fact that teens tend to be extremely self focused. An example of this would be the “Coronavirus Party” that a group of students in Alabama threw. These teens gave monetary rewards to intentionally infect each other with the virus. The rules are simple; whoever gets COVID first gets the money. States that have seen these types of parties erupting have begun to heavily enforce their regulations and guidelines, thankfully.
So, Gen Z, it is time to do better. Be proactive. Call out your friends if you see them acting irresponsibly. Take care of yourself and others. Things aren’t like they were in March. We know better now. This virus isn’t going anywhere anytime soon so please make sure to stay safe and follow health guidelines.
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