Health officials across the globe, those similar to Nurse Joan Haugaard at Camas High School (CHS), have struggled with the ongoing Covid pandemic. The upcoming flu season brings with it plenty of more unpredictable possibilities.

For the past 19 months in the country, the pandemic has shrouded the detection of diseases and forced countless businesses and schools to shut down, whether it be temporarily or permanently. 

As these businesses and schools have resumed operation, measures have been put in place to try to ease back into the normal function while still adhering to the pandemic’s limits. And yet, cases continue to occur at unsettling rates that could cause harm in the long term. 

CHS Nurse, Joan Haugaard said, “this is going to be an interesting season for us. We’re masked in school, as much as we can if everyone follows the regulations that are set forth. Now we’re out in restaurants, we have full-on sports, theaters and things are opening up. So is there more opening for exposure? Absolutely.”

Major U.S. holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas also fall during the months of November and December, the heart of flu season. During this time, many people schedule holiday parties and families across the country are often in close proximity to one another, typically leading to a spike in Influenza cases each year. 

However, diagnosing these systems will cause no added stress. 

“The symptoms are the same. If someone says they have cold symptoms, flu, strep throat symptoms, that’s exactly what Covid symptoms are. So the only way to know is a test. That’s the only way,” Haugaard said. 

Since home test kits are also available, Covid-positive people can keep quiet about their diagnosis rather than taking the standard PCR test. 

Junior Aiden Shafiuzzaman said, “some people have cases and no one knows.”

The problem with PCR testing is they take a lot of time away from being in school. 

Junior Riley Howard said, “a lot of people panic… end up getting a negative test after they have multiple days of school missed.”

At Camas, if someone exhibits symptoms for either, the administered actions are essentially the same.

The medical staff of the Camas School District seemingly has adequate control over the situation, but one of the unfortunate truths in this time is that nothing right now is truly predictable. 

Because students were at home during the flu season last year, district officials have very little experience with this problem. This is brand new to everyone, making it incredibly difficult to determine which paths for preparation should be taken. 

“Maybe it’ll be a light flu season because we’re all masked… I don’t know,” Haugaard said. 

It is possible the district could experience a rise in cases, whether influenza or covid and that more regulations will be implemented. Maybe the schools will continue through the winter in-person with minimum changes. This is a time of uncertainty, and being able to adapt to the changing conditions will continue to be just as important as it has been for more than the past year and a half.