Annabelle Krause
Current Event 3
10.14.2020
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
In the article What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall by Tina Hesman Saey, Saey discusses the possibility of a “‘twindemic’ — two epidemics at the same time” as flu season draws near. The concern is that dealing with both the flu, which has “killed 12,000 to 61,000 people annually and hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000 each year since 2010,” and COVID-19 will overwhelm the already struggling health system. Typically, the United States and other countries in the Northern Hemisphere look to the Southern Hemisphere for an indication of how bad the flu season will be, since flu season there is from May to October. This year has been an extremely good year for the flu, with most countries reporting virtually no cases, especially in comparison to the last few years which have been bad. This largely has been credited to COVID-19 regulations like mask-wearing, increased handwashing, and social distancing. This all would suggest that the Northern Hemisphere will also experience a lighter flu season than usual. One interesting debate in the virology community is whether COVID-19 and the flu will be in competition with each other or if they will simply “double dose” people. One virologist, Richard Webby, suggested that the one disease could outcompete the other, resulting in one being eradicated for this season. However, some hospitals have had patients test positive for both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time. Saey concluded with a theory surrounding the ability to get two viral infections concurrently. In general, having a virus results in “immune system’s generalized antiviral defense system, known as the innate immune system [revving up].” This triggers a virus-fighting immune chemical called interferons which keeps the immune system on high alert and prevents infection in the short run. This theory is being tested by infecting lung cells with rhinovirus and then trying to infect the cells with flu. They have found that the interferon response preventing flu infection, and when that response was blocked, flu infection was possible.
This article and the research it describes research are extremely relevant to society right now due to the looming flue season and the pandemic that we are currently in. Understanding how the general populace will react to these epidemics will allow healthcare professionals and the healthcare system to prepare for how many people they will be dealing with. COVOD-19 is a worldwide issue, and it is relevant to everyone’s lives. As we approach flu season, it is important for everyone to keep in mind the importance of keeping up with the COVID-19 protocols to protect themselves and their families. Beyond just understanding the COVID-19-flu intersection, the research on reinfection has longlasting impacts on the study of viruses and epidemiology. With future infections and (hopefully not) pandemics, understanding reinfection will help healthcare providers prepare and treat patients.
The article has many strengths and a few weaknesses. I enjoyed how the article explained the science in manageable terms and made sure to set up the research in a very accessible way. Saey was also extremely well researched, as shown by the quotes from virologists and data from hospitals throughout the article, as well as the citations at the end. The article was logically organized and walked the reader through the topics well. I would have preferred if the article had focused more on how COVID-19 protocols will impact and have impacted the flu season. Especially in the United States, where COVID-19 cases are still on the rise and protocols are not followed especially well, it would have been interesting to have had some commentary from Saey on how the United States would fare. Another weakness is that the article was heavily focused on the background on the research, and it spent significantly less time discussing the science behind double infections. It would have been better if some of the first few paragraphs had been shortened and the science had been lengthened. Lastly, I would have liked more commentary from the author. I know that it is a scientific research article, but it still would have been interesting for the author to have shared her own views based on the research rather than just presenting the research.
Olivia Cevasco - Comment on Annabelle Krause’s Current Event #3
ReplyDeleteSaey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle’s review of “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” is incredibly well-written. First, Annabelle does a great job of citing important statistics from the main article. She writes that, “The concern is that dealing with both the flu, which has “killed 12,000 to 61,000 people annually and hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000 each year since 2010,” and COVID-19 will overwhelm the already struggling health system.” The use of these numbers bolster her comprehension of the main article, provide background to her argument that a twindemic could overwhelm the health system, and make the reader aware of the flu’s deadliness, allowing them to compare it to the flu figures to the coronavirus figures that are well known at this point in the pandemic. Second, Annabelle’s “relevance” paragraph is spot on. She describes that “Understanding how the general populace will react to these epidemics will allow healthcare professionals and the healthcare system to prepare for how many people they will be dealing with.” This is crucial considering that this year, healthcare professionals were introduced to the coronavirus at the same time as the general public and were very underprepared to deal with this pandemic. This highlights the purpose of this review because healthcare professionals need to have access to as much data as possible about the intersection of the flu and coronavirus in order to be prepared for the upcoming flu season. Third, Annabelle’s critique of the main article that “Especially in the United States, where COVID-19 cases are still on the rise and protocols are not followed especially well, it would have been interesting to have had some commentary from Saey on how the United States would fare.” It’s incredibly important to note that while the main article used statistics on the lessening of the flu season in the southern hemisphere, Saey and fellow scientists are unsure of how the flu season will impact the U.S., and their ideas are only theories. Thus, Annabelle’s critique that the author should have included commentary on the expectation for the U.S. in the upcoming season brings together the fact that we scientists don’t know what to expect in the coming months but they do have theories.
To improve this review, I would encourage Annabelle to briefly describe the term “rhinovirus” because the reader might not know that rhinovirus is the cause of the common cold. Next, I would also encourage Annabelle to use more statistics from the main article since it had abundant information. For instance, to help ease the uncertainty about whether the flu will be stronger/worse this year and support that one virus can dominate the other, Annabelle can bring in the fact that this 2019-2020 flu season saw a decrease in flu positivity rates from 20% from December-March to late March when only 2.3% of flu tests came back positive after the introduction/competition from the coronavirus.
I chose to review this article to increase my awareness of the upcoming coronavirus/flu season and learned that there have been instances where patients tested positive for both coronavirus and the flu; I didn’t realize or consider the possibility before reading Annabelle’s review. This review has changed my perception of how this COVID-19 pandemic can have one positive effect: it can decrease our positivity rates for the flu because of all the safety precautions we’ve taken to prevent the coronavirus.
Article Citation:
ReplyDeleteSaey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall
Current Event Link
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html
Annabelle’s commentary on “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” was a very thorough and detailed review of this scientific article. She did an effective job outlining the research in digestible language, providing a very clear and concise synthesis of the work. She weaved in small quotes throughout her first paragraph and referred to specific experts, which strengthened her writing immensely. Another aspect that was done well was her connection to the overall significance and relevance of the article. In her second paragraph, Annabelle explores the science beyond its surface level meaning, noting the urgency and importance of understanding this impending health crisis. In the midst of a pandemic and approaching flu season, these are questions that scientists, health professionals, and ordinary citizens are asking. Annabelle was also effective in her critique of the article, providing productive commentary on what she thought could have been done better. For instance, she wished the author had provided more personal interjection and connected the research to how the United States will fare given our ineffective response to the pandemic.
Although this review was overall very strong, there were some areas for improvement. For instance, Annabelle could have done further research and added her own commentary on how the United States will deal with this crisis given the uniqueness of our country’s leadership and lack of adherence to health protocols. Although not required, this additional research would have made her review even more informative and well rounded. Another area for improvement would be delving more deeply into specific action steps that countries and families could take to protect themselves against these viruses. Towards the end of the original article, the author discusses flu vaccines and treatments such as FluMist, which may have been interesting for Annabelle to dissect.
Overall, this article and review were incredibly informative and relevant. All citizens in the nation and globe are being forced to confront this pandemic and deal with how it is impacting their own lives. As seasons are changing and we are entering a period where colds and sickness are going to be more prevalent, it is essential to understand how these illnesses will intersect with COVID-19. This reading has certainly shifted my own perspective on this issue and reinforced the importance of adhering to health protocols and attacking this pandemic in a bipartisan manner.
Holden D’Avico - Comment on Annabelle Krause’s Current Event #3
ReplyDeleteSaey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle’s review of the article was well presented and was easy to understand. I enjoyed how she summarized the relevant information of the article in her first paragraph because it didn’t sound like a list. Oftentimes, summaries can become “list-like” and can be very boring to read. However, Annabelle presented the information from the article in a way that was interesting to read, captivating the reader’s attention. Another aspect of the review that I enjoyed was the second paragraph and Annabelle’s description of why this article is so important and relevant to us right now. Annabelle makes an inference from the article, using her background knowledge/experience with the pandemic, describing how important it is for us as a country to prepare for the upcoming flu season. She warns us that we must maintain our Covid-19 safety protocols (social distance, masks) so we don’t have a double pandemic this winter. The final aspect that I enjoyed about the review was when Annabelle described the weaknesses of the article. I agree with her statements when she says that the author’s opinion could have been included a little more instead of just citing and presenting research. I agree that if the author included her own opinion on the possibility of a double pandemic this flu season, it would’ve been much more interesting to read. Also, if the author had included her own opinion, I think the article would’ve been more complete because it would consist of research and then an inference based on that research, rather than just presenting research.
My suggestion in order to improve the review of the article would be for Annabelle to include her own opinion or thoughts based on the information in the article. It would’ve been interesting to see how a classmate views the possibility of a double pandemic this winter as well as their opinion on whether viruses compete or can co-exist. Annabelle presented the information in the article well, however, I believe that adding her own thoughts would’ve been interesting for the reader. Another suggestion I have is to elaborate on the statement, “I enjoyed how the article … made sure to set up the research in an accessible way.” This statement was a little confusing to me and I think it is important to explain/elaborate on this statement to eliminate any confusion the reader may have. Specifically, I think it would be beneficial to explain how the research was presented and what she liked about it, rather than just making a general statement.
I was very impressed by the fact that when the body is infected with a virus, interferons are produced which prevents other infections in the short run. This piece of information was very interesting to me because it suggests that our immune system is on high alert and is very strong right after we recover from an infection. This piece of information is also interesting because if it is true, hopefully we won’t see a double pandemic this winter where people are getting infected with Covid-19 and the flu.
Julia Reich
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology C Even
10/14/20
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? -
Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Annabelle’s review of the dilemma of Covid-19 and the flu ravaging throughout the world is well done. To begin, she uses statistics from the article, which not only allows the audience to grasp real numbers, but also to allow them to make sense of the topic. She includes that the flu has “killed 12,000 to 61,000 people annually and hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000 each year since 2010,” which is very frightening and also important to the overall message of the article. Secondly, she includes inputs of other real scientists and doctors. Though this correlates with the first aspect she did well, the specific inclusion of words from scientists who have proved themselves to be valuable is very impressive. She includes one virologist, Richard Webby, and his opinion on the flu and Covid-19. Lastly, Annabelle critiques the author and mentions that she would like “more commentary from the author.” This is important to the overall message of the topic because no one is sure how Covid-19 and the flu will mix. The author, Tina Hesman Saey, is clearly intelligent and she should have included her opinion to convey theories regarding the two viruses.
To improve her review, Annabelle could have fixed a few minor aspects. One aspect to improve includes checking for spelling errors. For example, she writes “COVOD-19” and “flue season.” Though these spelling errors are not crucial to the overall message of the piece, it is unprofessional to have these errors. She could easily fix this by reading her review one more time. Secondly, Annabelle could define such terms that may be unknown to a common reader, including “rhinovirus” and “virologist,” She could easily fix this by adding a parenthesis or simply adding another sentence to define the terms.
I chose Annabelle’s article as the topic relates to our world today. The next few months will be especially crucial for health safety as flu season begins alongside with the deadly Covid-19. However, after reading the review, I learned that the flu may be less infectious this year because of masks and hand washing. Though this does not mean I would be immune to the virus, it is comforting to know that the chances of my getting the virus are lower. I will continue to wear my mask and wash my hands after reading the statistics regarding the two viruses.
Ava Black - Comment on Annabelle Krause’s Current Event #3
ReplyDeleteSaey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle’s review of “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” was very well written and informative. She did a great job, first, of explaining the situation and issue regarding a patient catching both Covid-19 and the flu. I thought it was helpful that she included quotes from researchers mentioned in the article because it helped to further emphasize her statements and create a more detailed understanding of the issue. I also thought that Annabelle did an especially good job of explaining the relevance of researching the reason that some people might get both Covid-19 and the flu as well as the effect it would have on the population. Annabelle makes it clear that Covid-19 is a global problem and that by researching how people will react to both the flu and Covid-19 will also enable healthcare systems to prepare. She really made it clear that this research is something that must be supported throughout the world.
One improvement that I think Annabelle could make would be to go into a little more detail regarding the research itself. She mentioned a little towards the end of her first paragraph about how scientists are going to infect lung cells with rhinovirus and then the flu to see how the cells react, however, I wish she would provide more information. It would be helpful for her to explain what rhinovirus is for readers who may not know and it would also be beneficial for her to explain more tests that may be going on to add to the research of this topic.
I chose to read Annabelle’s current event because I believe that it is important to learn more about Covid-19 and I wanted to increase my understanding of this issue. I learned that patients can test positive for both Covid-19 and the flu, which is scary and something I had not considered before. I also did not realize that the flu season has not been as intense this year compared to previous years, because of the strict regulations. I thought that was interesting. This current event made me more aware of the possibility for Covid-19 to become more dangerous if more people contract both the flu and Covid-19. It is very interesting and a subject that I will continue to research and stay updated on.
Erin Foley
ReplyDeleteOct 13th, 2020
Commentary on Annabelle Krause's Current Event
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020,
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle's review on this article concerning COVID-19 was informative, dialectical and genuinely interesting. She opened her review very well by describing the broader subject of the article, and continuously narrowing down to the more specific research/implications of the article. This allowed me to understand and digest a lot of information in a short period of time, which is one of the ultimate goals of these reviews. Additionally, Annabelle's review provided specific research and implications of said research, accumulating a dialectical consideration of two different claims. She rose the author's point of how the pandemic might positively impact flu season (i.e., she explained that because we are taking such serious health precautions, infection might slow). On the other hand, she also considered how COVID-19, in conjunction with the flu, could destroy our healthcare system. She provided specific anecdotes and hypotheticals (as well as proven research) for both sides, which equips the reader to make their own informed decision. Finally, Annabelle chose to review an article that is extremely relevant, which made it easy to focus and left me genuinely intrigued to continue reading it. The connection she made between the article and society, as well as her serious tone (and shocking statistics like how the flu "hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000" people each year) made it not only easy to read, but important to read. Annabelle's review was very strong as I felt that I learned something important just by reading what she thought of it.
Although her review had many strong points, there were a few ways Annabelle could've improved this piece. Firstly, I think she could've explained the concept of reinfection a little more clearly in her intro, as she never explicitly defines it, but then refers to it in her conclusion as an important aspect of the article. In doing this, her review would be more coherent and understandable. Secondly, I think she could have explained the research more clearly, specifically the study she mentions in the first paragraph. She describes how scientists are "infecting lung cells with rhinovirus" as well as the flu virus to see how they react, but doesn't explicitly relate this to the pandemic. I think that if she explained how the rhinovirus is similar to coronavirus, or if they think coronavirus-infected cells might behave differently than rhinovirus-infected cells, the reader would be able to understand the context and implications of this study much more easily.
What drew me in to Annabelle's review was the subject of the piece, as COVID-19 is one of the most significant biology-related current events in our world. When I thought about how it might impact flu season, I realized I hadn't really considered this and knew I should read it. My impression, after reading Annabelle's review, is that we don't know if flu season will be weaker or stronger in conjunction with the pandemic. But what we do know is that no matter what, we need to take many precautions to maintain our health and to prevent an overflow in our healthcare system. I honestly wasn't aware of how much flu season affects our hospitals every year until reading Annabelle's review, and I now know the severity of the situation if COVID cases rose as flu cases did, too. Her review was informative, yes, but also extremely impactful, as it describes how monumental this fall could possibly be, and what we can do as individuals to protect ourselves and others.
Kelly Baclija
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio
October 14, 2020
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? -
Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.
I found Annabelle’s article on “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” to be informative as well as an enjoyable read. I like that the fact that she decided to include a description of the chemical interferon, which relates very closely to our current unit studying the chemical makeup of different molecules crucial for life and thus is a topic we have some knowledge on. She explains it as a component that “keeps the immune system on high alert and prevents infection in the short run”. Another aspect is the fact that Annabelle included many different sides of the debate in the virology community as to the competition, or lack thereof, between COVID-19 and the flu; for instance, she states that “one virologist, Richard Webby, suggested that the one disease could outcompete the other, resulting in one being eradicated for this season”. I think that this was a good addition as it allows the audience to see multiple perspectives of a discussion and perhaps even develop their own opinion on the matter. Furthermore, I also enjoyed Annabelle’s analysis of the article following the summary. She makes clear the relevance of the matter; “understanding how the general populace will react to these epidemics will allow healthcare professionals and the healthcare system to prepare for how many people they will be dealing with”. Considering the pandemic that is currently going on, I believe this was a significant part of her article to relate the science aspects back to real life and society in general.
There was some room for improvement within Annabelle’s article, one of which would be going in-depth on certain topics that seem to have been skimmed over, such as the experiments “infecting lung cells with rhinovirus and then trying to infect the cells with flu”. If this was explained in more detail, I believe the audience would have an easier time interpreting the article. Another suggestion for Annabelle to improve would be to include her own thoughts and perspective on the topics presented in the articles; as she stated it was a weak point in the original article, I think it would have strengthened her own review in parallel by adding her own commentary, which would have enriched the audience’s reading experience.
I chose this article in order to educate myself on what the upcoming situation will be concerning the two leading diseases at this point in the year, the flu and COVID-19. After reading, I have learned that healthcare professionals and scientists are not entirely sure about how this competition between viruses, although we will likely be prepared due to the protocols we have been following, including masks and social distancing. Ultimately, I think this has changed my perspective that the pandemic we are in has more effect on our lives than we may be aware.
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
ReplyDeleteScience News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause,
12 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html.
Annabelle Krause wrote a detailed and interesting review of the article, “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” that addresses the extremely current issue of the potential ‘second wave’ of the COVID-19 pandemic this fall and winter. A strongpoint of this review was Krause’s quote integration from the original article. She used a number of different quotes to back up all of the connections she drew herself, but they weren’t overused; a few key words were often taken as a quote to be integrated into Krause’s own writing which allowed you to distinguish between her own ideas and those of the article while simultaneously seeing that they share a common theme. This means that you can clearly understand the message conveyed within the article by Saey without needing to translate and interpret all of the scientific jargon used. Another highlight of Krause’s review was that she addressed the current state of the United States healthcare system amid dealing with the Coronavirus, and encouraged maintaining the precautionary measures like mask wearing that help to prevent the spread of the viruses. This is extremely relevant to our lives, and it is reassuring to hear that the measures we are already taking are helpful towards also combating the flu virus. Making a section of her review about the application of the information within the article rather than just analyzing the information makes it easier for the reader to put the science and statistics into perspective. Lastly, it was very effective and professional of Krause to mention the credibility of the author of the article, Saey, by mentioning that Saey was “extremely well researched, as shown by the quotes from virologists and data from hospitals...” (Krause, Annabelle). Including this observation within her review of the article makes the article seem a lot more trustworthy and makes Krause herself a lot more of an attentive and in-depth reviewer.
I would have liked to have heard more about the physical effects on one’s body and immune system if they contracted both the flu and the Coronavirus, since that’s what the title of both the article and this review seem to imply. I was hoping to hear more about this topic from a health standpoint for an individual, such as what the new symptoms would be or if the survival rate would be altered by having both viruses at one time. Additionally, I think this review could have been improved if Krause had given further details about how the healthcare system across the globe and within our country are preparing to deal with both of these epidemics at once. It wasn’t made very clear which of the theories that were stated about how the flu and COVID-19 would interact is the leading theory, and how researchers are trying to confirm this. In general, the review could have been stronger if more focus was put towards analyzing the article in terms of how this information should be taken for increased health and safety in the upcoming months.
Reading Annabelle Krause’s review of the article really helped me to understand the severity of the current global Coronavirus pandemic when combined with the flu virus that annually impacts thousands of people and is responsible for a number of annual deaths as well. This review helped me realize not only the consequences of our country's mediocre handling of the pandemic, but also that the measures that we are taking are extremely helpful on their own for not just Coronavirus. It was really interesting to read about how other countries in the Southern Hemisphere handled both the flu and COVID-19, and then to compare that to how the United States will be able to control this situation.
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
ReplyDeleteScience News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 14 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html#comment-form. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.
I thought Annebell’s review of “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” was very interesting and thought provoking. I chose to comment on this review because I was interested in the article and I wanted to hear Anneblle’s answer to the question. I thought she did a really good job of including facts and statistics to prove her point. In her review she cites the statistic that “the flu, which has killed 12,000 to 61,000 people annually and hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000 each year since 2010” could easily overwhelm the health system. Including this fact, and many others in the review, help the reader understand her points better and quantify many aspects of the effects of COVID-19. Another aspect of Annebelle’s review was her ability to take inherently uninteresting information into captivating information. The summary of the scientific article did not feel boring to read and I was constantly engaged by Annebelle’s outside anecdotes and literary devices. Finally, I think she opened her review very well by focusing on the broad range of the topic, hooking the reader, and then moving into more of the statics and finer details of the question that is proposed by the original article.
One area that Annebelle could improve upon is her spelling and grammar. Although, humans do make mistakes time and time again, it is very important to check over your spelling and grammar. Admittedly, there are probably some grammatical errors and spelling errors in this comment, however this is a place for constructive criticism. Some spelling errors included “COVOD-19” and “Flue season”. Another area of improvement could have been personal perspective. I would have liked Annabelle to talk more about what she thinks about the question proposed by the article and how that relates to her own life. Maybe she could have included a paragraph about how public schools would be impacted differently by COVID during flu season than in the rest of the year.
I was initially drawn into this review by the title and relevance to my life. Covid is a serious pandemic and is a cloud that looms over everyone in the entire world. There isn’t a day that goes by that COVID does not come up in some form of conversation or news article. I could not name one other thing in my entire life that has that sort of dominance and persistence in my thoughts. One main thing I learned while reading Anneblle’s review was the two different outcomes that could play out during flu season. This leaves food for thought because even the top scientists do not know exactly how this will play out. This changes my perspective on the Pandemic because I thought it would die down, but now with the approaching flu season, we must take it even more seriously.
Hugh Duffy
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio C/Even
10/13/2020
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? -
Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle's review on “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” was very informative, and brought a topic, of which I had not thought of before, to light.
While reading her review, it was clear that Annabelle did her own research in addition to reading the article. I found her knowledge of interferons to be compelling as a reader. This topic had intrigued me before, as I frequently connected COVID-19 to the Flu as some sort of "cure" due to the lack of cases. After reading Annabelle's quote, "This largely has been credited to COVID-19 regulations like mask-wearing, increased hand-washing, and social distancing."(Krause 1) I understood the correlation between COVID-19 and the Flu, (even though it seems quite obvious to me now.) I think the summary of the article Annabelle provides includes a great deal of information, and the reader is not excluded from any material had they not read the original article.
One area for improvement is the lack of specificity when referring to the virologist's tests regarding double infections. I had a hard time understanding what the scientists actually concluded from the experiment. Additionally, I felt as though I was reading from the article itself rather than a review. While the importance of detail can not be understated, in my opinion a review of an article should read as less formal than the original work itself. Annabelle's professionalism was impressive, but lacked in captivating, conversational terms to help the review flow.
This review definitely stood out to me among others. The omnipresent flu virus seemed to disappear in 2020, and it was this review that helped explain to me the reasoning behind said disappearance. After reading this review, I am worried for the rest of the fall season. With COVID-19, the flu, common cold, and fall allergies stacked on top of one another, this pandemic could increase in severity tenfold.
Spencer Dessart
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Bio C/Even
10/13/2020
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 14 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html#comment-form. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.
First off, I thought Annabelle did a great job introducing the topic, by explaining that the flue can go hand in hand with COVID-19 in making what is known as a “twindemic.” Her first paragraph overall was very well structured and easy to follow. I really liked how she used the statistics found in the article to support her points made, especially the ones which linked the importance of the Flu to the current pandemic COVID 19. Additionally, I liked how Annabelle used credible sources in her article, such as quotes from researchers because that gave the information more relevance to the topic. Lastly, I liked the application of the article to the real world and how everyone in school currently can relate to this. It can help us to understand how the medical field can take steps in preparation of the Flu and hopefully limit it as much as possible
The first way I think annabelle can improve her review is to explain reinfection more clearly. It seemed like one of the most crucial points in the article, but had little background information given to the reader. Along with this same topic, I would have liked to see some more information on the actual research that the scientists conducted. This seemed like a very research heavy article, so some more information would have been preferred for a better understanding of the subject. Secondly, I think Annabelle could’ve stated her opinion more in her review. When doing a scientific research review, It would have been enticing to see the perspective of a peer who can closely relate to this topic. I think it would have been interesting to see what Annabelle had to say about the topic for herself and make a judgement about the research after reading the article.
I was definitely drawn to this article due to the fact that it pertains to our lives very heavily in this moment. COVID is going to go down as one of the most memorable events in history, and every day seems to be affected by it. I learned about the research that is going into the Flu virus and how it pairs with COVID and also that there are two different possible outcomes to the Flu virus. This could mean for an extended period of time in which COVID is relevant, but it all depends on how the problem is handled
Milly Koenig - Comment on Annabelle Krause’s Current Event #3
ReplyDeleteSaey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle Krause’s review of the article titled “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” was incredibly informative in addition to being well written and direct. The first positive thing that stuck out to me about her review, was her ability to open the writing by providing context and setting a broad scene. This really allowed the reader to understand the scale of the issue and set the article in the real world; before narrowing down her writing to talk about the specific information and stats found within the original article. This leads me to the second piece of her writing that I thought was incredibly well done; her ability to incorporate quotes and statistics into her review, helping the reader understand the writing and the severity of the issue. By using stats such as the flu “killed 12,000 to 61,000 people annually and hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000 each year since 2010,” gives the reader quantitative numbers to grasp and understand the scale of the issue, helping highlight the message of the article. The final thing that I loved about Annabelles review was not the way that she wrote her review, but rather her choice of topic. I personally am very interested in the medical field and this article could not be more relevant today, helping to inform the public about the severity of the dangers around us.
Overall I think that Annabelle’s review was very well written and informative although there were a few things that could have improved my understanding of her writing. First of all, I think that she could have done a better job explaining the research in the beginning, adding a sentence or two to the first paragraph where she talks about “infecting lung cells with rhinovirus" and how this ties back to the central idea of the article. She could also include that the rhinovirus is similar to the coronavirus to help the reader connect this research to the central idea. Secondly, I think that if Annabelle had provided her own take/ opinion of the article, the reader of her review would also be given a new perspective. If the took a stance on the article, and provided reason for and against this claim it could have helped me understand the topic in a more complete way.
I chose to review Annabelles writing because after reading the others, I believe that this article is the most informative, interesting, and revivent in our lives today. Covid-19 is impacting every aspect of American lives right now and I think it is very important to understand and keep up to date with the new information regarding the pandemic. I am also very interested in medicine and science and I think that it is important to be an engaged and informed individual in times like these. The biggest take away for me after reading this review, is the idea that this winter can play out one of two ways. This leaves me, as a citizen of the world, on my toes and caustically curious about the coming months.
Nate Kim
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
10/14/20
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? - Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 14 Oct. 2020, bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html#comment-form. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.
Annabelle's analysis of “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” is both insightful and extremely well written. Annabelle's use of specific statistics from the source article adds to the credibility of her extrapolation from the source. Her commentary is specific and noteworthy in the sense that she does not seem to be paraphrasing what the author has said in the source article. Her points are concise and suggestive while also being plausible. Her analysis seems to be spot on and her article is extremely relevant at this time. It's interesting to think that the flu and COVID-19 could hit us at the same time. Reading this current event felt like an "oh how did I not think of that" moment. Annabelle's commentary is woven brilliantly with her analysis and quotes from the source article.
While I believe that this analysis is very strong, there are no doubt areas for improvement. Annabelle could have gone into more detail about America specifically and how double infection would affect the country. I also believe that she could have done a little bit more research and talked about topics like reinfection and interferons so that the reader of the review could get a better grasp of the situation at hand. Clearly, these weaknesses are easily remedied. If Annabelle put in a little bit more time for a little bit more research, the review would be drastically better.
For me, this article was extremely eye opening. As I mentioned earlier, this article felt like a "duh" moment. People get double infected with illnesses such as Strep and Mono all the time so why would the flu and COVID be any different. I found it interesting learning about how the immune system fights against infections. I learned about the research being done on the flu virus and covid as well. It is also interesting that reinfection could be a prevalent issue. If I'm not mistaken, this is not an issue for the flu virus. Overall, Annabelle's article was very informative and very interesting to read.
Gabriela McLain
ReplyDeleteMr. Ippolito
AP Biology
Current Event 3
October 14th, 2020
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” Science News,
23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html#comment-form
For this week’s current event I decided to read Annabelle’s review on Tina Saey’s “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” This review was very well written. Something I believe that Annabelle did especially well was how she summarized the article. When writing a summary, it is easy to merely list off exactly what was talked about in the article. However, Annabelle did an excellent job of describing the article in a way that flowed very nicely. Also, she used easily digestible language which allows readers who don’t have background knowledge on this subject to still enjoy the review. This topic is very complicated and we obviously haven’t completely mastered an understanding of it as a society, but Annabelle does a wonderful job of informing the reader in a clear and concise manner. Finally, something I think she did very well as her use of quotes throughout her review. The use of quotes helps the reader better understand and become more familiar with the article itself. Annabelle seamlessly weaves in quotes from the original article which was very useful as a reader.
Although this review is very well written, there are a few things Annabelle can improve upon. Something I think that she could add would be to include some of her opinions on this topic. After reading this review, I would like to know her thoughts on the possibility of a double pandemic this winter. Or if she believes that the viruses will compete or co-exist. Another area of improvement would be to fix some minor spelling errors. For example, Annabelle writes “flue season” instead of flu season. However, mistakes like these did not alter my comprehension of this review.
I chose to read Annabelle’s review because the title enticed me. COVID-19 is a very prevalent aspect of everyone’s lives right now and I wanted to educate myself more on this topic. The question of how the flu will have an effect on COVID-19 is very apparent and I am glad I was able to learn more. Something I learned from this review was that the flu will quite possibly have an effect on this pandemic. Before reading this article, I hadn’t really thought about it before. However, after reading this review it has changed my perspective. The huge impact the flu season has on our hospitals every year will also play a huge part in how our country handled the pandemic in the following months. I believe that Annabelle did a great job with this review.
Conor O’Neil
ReplyDeleteAP Bio
10-14
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? -
Annabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
Annabelle Krause’s review of “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?” was a very interesting look at the article from sciencenews.org. In her review, she did a very good job of breaking down the concepts of the article into easily understandable language, making a very clear review. She does so by briefly but effectively describing the processes involved in her article and by using relevant and easy-to-understand statistics from the article in her review which describe the sheer scale of the epidemics, thus drawing in the reader further. Moreover, she used quotes from the article, increasing her credibility and strengthening her writing in the process. She also did a good job of describing the importance of this article in today’s world. Obviously we are currently being faced by a COVID-19 pandemic and the combination of COVID-19 and the Flu could increase the amount of sick people dramatically. Lastly, Annabelle does a great job of going beyond the science itself and describing the very real and pressing threats described in the article.
Annabelle’s review of the article had very few flaws and was overall very strong. She did an excellent job of explaining complex topics to an audience with little to no background knowledge of epidemiology. One of the few things she could improve on would be doing a better job of defining certain terms. If she was speaking to an audience more advanced in epidemiology than this biology class, this would not be a problem as they would likely understand these terms; however, terms such as “rhinovirus” could be confusing to the reader if not properly explained. Secondly, there were occasional minor errors in spelling and grammar. For example, “Flue season” was misspelled as “Flue season” and “COVID-19” swapped for “COVOD-19.” These do not necessarily take away from the content of the article, but it is somewhat unprofessional. The good news is that it is an minor error and a simple fix to make. Other than that it was a very strong review of an interesting article.
Other than the fact that it was the only article that was posted at the time I wrote this review, I was drawn to the article because of its extraordinarily relevant content. The idea of a ‘twindemic’ is a very real and scary potential future. This article provides yet another reason for me and everyone to take extra precautions when it comes to disease prevention. Furthermore, while a fairly simple concept, it was interesting to think about the combination of the Flu and COVID-19. After reading this review, my perspective of the importance and seriousness of the pandemic and the need to unify and fight this disease both as a government and a society.
Angelinna Faisca
ReplyDeleteCurrent Event Comment #3
AP Bio
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html
In her current event, “What will happen when COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”, Annabelle does a good job on explaining what her article is about and how Covid-19 might affect the flu season, which is up and coming. This is extremely important because of the current dangers that Covid-19 has on our country. Annabelle also does a great job in giving facts and statistics, which are very helpful to add, especially if you’re trying to get your audience to learn something and to be aware of it. She also adds in her second paragraph how our healthcare workers and regular people, were both exposed to the virus at the same time, especially as they were fighting on the front lines. “Understanding how the general populace will react to these epidemics will allow healthcare professionals and the healthcare system to prepare for how many people they will be dealing with. COVID-19 is a worldwide issue, and it is relevant to everyone’s lives.” This is very relevant because this pandemic affected every single person, and not just a sick one, making it really serious and impacting on all types of people. It is also very interesting to add how one virus might eradicate the other for a season, making the audience think if this is really possible. She gave evidence, given from the article, to show how this theory might work, as she included that tests are being run to prove this eradication theory. By giving us this information on this new theory, there is still some hope for Covid-19.
I think she could have been more detailed in her review of this article, and used stronger words in order to get her point across in a more effective way. Although, she did give good details. Some terms she used, not everyone is familiar with, so I would go over terms to help her review become more stronger, as her readers wouldn’t be confused, as it is the cause of the Flu. Adding more information into her review would help as well, especially since her article had buckets of information, including how the Flu rate during 2019-2020 went down, creating positivity amongst this pandemic. Overall I thought she did a good job with her details, and her information, as she stated what needed to be said while talking about the Covid-19 pandemic.
One reason why I chose to review this is because of the current pandemic that we are in mainly and I think right now we need some information on when this pandemic is going to get better. For me, I think the numbers and statistics helped, especially with the new theory with flu prevention, which sheds some light on moving forward for Flu prevention. This helped change my perspective in a way because we have evidence that during all of this mess, Covid-19 was actually able to reduce positive results for the Flu, as cases have been the lowest in a long time, showing that Covid-19 gave scientists an opportunity to work on another issue that has affected us and probably will, for a long time to come.
Krause, Annabelle. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall? -
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Krause.” Blogspot.Com, 12 Oct. 2020, https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2020/10/what-will-happen-when-covid-19-and-flu.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.
Saey, Tina Hesman. “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”
Science News, 23 Sept. 2020, www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall.
For my current event, I read a review by Annabelle in an article originally published in Science News, titled “What Will Happen When COVID-19 and the Flu Collide This Fall?”. First, Annabelle did an excellent job including direct quotations from the article to establish her credibility and allow the reader to comprehend the subject. For example, “the flu, which has killed 12,000 to 61,000 people annually and hospitalized between 140,000 and 810,000 each year since 2010,” and COVID-19 will overwhelm the already struggling health system.” Secondly, I like how Annabelle’s introduction draws readers in and makes them curious about her topic. Lastly, I like how Annabelle mentions “However, some hospitals have had patients test positive for both COVID-19 and the flu at the same time.” to highlight the fact that it is possible to have both viruses at once.
Although Annabelle’s review was very well written, there are certain areas to which she could have improved. For example, she should have selected more quotes because they allow the reader to understand the topic in greater depth. Secondly, Annabelle could have improved her article by discussing the effects and importance of the flu vaccine, especially this year.
This review allowed me to become interested in the possible effects of a “twindemic”. I am surprised that it is possible to get both at once, as I always thought they would be in competition with each other. I look forward to seeing what happens within the pandemic, and how the flu season will affect this situation.