Wednesday, January 26, 2022 marked an anniversary. Though, as anniversaries go, it is one to simply remember, rather than celebrate. It was on January 26, 2020, that Arizona recorded the first confirmed case of COVID-19. Since that time, we have been through a lot! No one would have predicted that 2 years hence, we would still be battling the coronavirus. Even one year ago, January 30, 2021, when the 7-day average for cases in Maricopa County was 2622, we couldn’t have imagined that on January 30, 2022 the 7-day average would be 6075! Yet, there is reason to be optimistic! 6075 cases is a significant decrease from the 13,742 7-day average recorded just two weeks before (EPI Curve).

Within the archives of the National Library of Medicine is an article titled, Mathematical models and their applications in medicine and health (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10260952/) published in 1981, undoubtedly cited by one of my professors when asked, “Why do nursing students have to take a course in statistics?”

To say that this past week was unsettling would be a tremendous understatement! For many, the daily reports of new COVID cases paired with the numerous media reports of school closures, or returns to the virtual classroom, reignited some fears long ago extinguished. The escalation in the number of COVID cases throughout the community this week was staggering 

(Maricopa County reported 14,186 cases for January 10, 2022 EPI Curve) and our school community was hit hard.

Returning to school this past Monday was probably the most difficult task we have faced since the outset of the Pandemic (March 2020). The Omicron variant of the coronavirus began to spread rapidly while we were on break and because there was an absence of school based reporting and a hiatus from weekly meetings with the Health Department, what we would face upon our return was essentially unknown.

First, to clarify, “Omicron” is not a new virus. It is a variation of the same coronavirus that began circulating at the end of 2019. Following the Greek alphabet, we now reference the earliest strain of the coronavirus as the Alpha strain and the Delta strain has been responsible for the illness we have seen since July 2021. Viruses mutate, or change, over time, and coronaviruses (there are at least 11) are known to mutate frequently and quickly. (This was the subject of a Nurse’s Notes in March 2021 -Variations on a Virus).

With the dawning of the New Year, there is a strong desire to discard things of “old” and start fresh and new. That is no more evident than in the ongoing Pandemic! Around the time of Fall Break, we were very optimistic that once January 2022 arrived we would be able to discard some of the infection control strategies we have gotten used to over the past two years. Adopting a “mask optional” policy in lieu of the current, very limited, requirements for masking (outlined in Smart, Healthy, Holy - August 2021) was a consideration. However, the emergence of the latest coronavirus variant (Omicron) has provided reason to stay with the current practices and protocols.

One of the joys of being in the front office is interacting with students who come in happily bearing “yellow” cards. Following OLMC’s Student Learning Expectations, this year’s focus is on being “Merciful”. The yellow cards are given to a student, by an administrator, teacher or staff member, when spontaneous acts of generosity, compassion, forgiveness or support towards another are witnessed. Each card details what the student did. No matter how small the act, it is celebrated! We want students to realize that collectively, seemingly small acts of mercy help to build a more compassionate and caring community.

Whether it’s the slightly cooler morning temperatures, the fading evening sunlight or simply the arrival of pumpkin spice everything--Arizona “fall” has arrived and with it “Fall Break”! Whereas, last year, boarding an airplane and traveling across the country, attending football games and concerts, or gathering in groups was discouraged, this year those things are possible. Recall that in October 2020, many restrictions related to the pandemic were still in place and a great fear of a surge in cases following fall break activities across the country, loomed. This year we have the benefit of all we have learned, having worked together, “Home & School”, to create and maintain a healthy environment in which our children can learn and grow.