Assignment:
As a nation, and in our families and communities, we are facing a national crisis of epic proportions: the presence of the COVID-19 virus, and the monumental impact on our lives. Not since the year 1918 has the United States had to grapple with such a widespread critical health threat and/or a greater financial crisis since The Great Depression in August 1929. It has permeated every facet of our lives, from the simple personal errands we must do, to spending time with family and friends.
So too, with such ease, it is possible to transmit the virus from person to person to increase the spread of the disease. And now, there is a mutated strand which is now shifting the national conversation. We have seen over 360,000 of our citizens die in the span of about 11 months. As painful as that is, we have to begin to look at the disease, relative to the human body, our anatomy and physiology, and the immediate and long-term effects, the "long-hauler" syndrome that is emerging. The anatomical and physiological effects are the boundaries of this class. You are the nation's future and your thoughts, actions, and contributions matter!
With that understanding, your assignment is to research the virus and discuss it in terms of the limits of this class. You are to report on the destructive nature of the virus, specific to the topics of anatomy and physiology with regards to how it affects humans, our biological structures and how it debilitates the functions of other systems. Though this class does not cover all the human biological systems, you may include any pertinent information, regarding any human biological system that you decide you would like to address, from the cardiovascular to lymphatic-immune systems to the blood system and of course any topics covered in this semester's curriculum. Your textbook can provide a good launching point to decide what topics you would like to discuss.