As the cold and flu season approaches, many people anticipate a spike in COVID-19 cases. Staff at IVCC, however, have already been preparing for such a scenario. The pandemic rocked the world when it hit and lockdowns were set in place all over the world, just two short years ago. Since then, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), there have been hundreds of thousands of cases and millions of deaths. Not only that, but multiple variants of the virus have also cropped up with their own complications as well.

IVCC’s COVID-19 Coordinator, Kimber King, stated that the college is prepared for any possible surges in cases this winter by keeping up to date on the guidelines provided by the CDC and IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health). She told the IV Leader that the school is continuing to collect positive test results from both students and faculty. This is done in order to help with contact tracing and minimizing the risk of the spread, exposure, of COVID on campus. There have been vaccination clinics offered in the past at IVCC, but currently there are no clinics scheduled. King also said wearing a mask can be a case-by-case scenario. She pointed us towards the CDC’s recommendation of wearing masks based on risk on a personal and community level. More generally, according to Jonathan Lambert, a Public Health Reporter at Grid News, a majority of Americans aren’t aware of Omicron COVID booster shots. This could potentially be dangerous for this upcoming winter. The Omicron variant of COVID is fast spreading and while it may not be as severe and deadly as other variants, a surge in cases can still lead to hospitalizations and deaths, according to the CDC.

The IV Leader also asked some students what their thoughts on the Omicron booster shots are, if they would get it, and why.

Cara Bonczkowski, a sophomore at IVCC, told the Leader that she “did not see the point” in getting the Omicron booster shot, because “the last one didn’t last,” and she doesn’t want to return for a shot with every new mutation of the virus.

Another sophomore, Kallie Cantlin, told the Leader that also did not plan on receiving the shot. Cantlin said she “heard bad side effects about boosters recently, from both people I know personally dealing with them, and articles online.”

More school-related COVID-19 information is available atwww.ivcc.edu/covid19/ or
[email protected].