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2022-03-07
This is the eleventh report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health regarding the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 7, 2022, positive cases have risen to 291 from 243 on March 6, 2022. The people of American Samoa are still advised to get their vaccine shots and booster shot. It is also heartwarming that within these reports that are released to the public, the DOH encourages people to send text messages, video messages, or groceries to someone who tested positive.
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2022-03-06
This is the tenth report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health regarding the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 6, 2022, positive cases have risen to 243 from 229 on March 5, 2022. The people of American Samoa are still advised to get their vaccine shots and booster shot. And if they are to get tested, there are clinics on the East and West of the island to get tested if people are positive. The DOH released these reports daily or weekly to inform the public about the number of cases on the island.
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2022-03-05
This is the ninth report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 5, 2022, positive cases have risen to 229 from 215 on March 4, 2022.
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2022-03-04
This is the eighth report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 4, 2022, positive cases have risen to 215 from 154 on March 3, 2022. The DOH also changed the look of the Situational Report to show the map of American Samoa and color-coded villages with their number of cases.
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2022-03-03
This is the seventh report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 3, 2022, positive cases have risen to 154 from 135 on March 2, 2022.
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2022-03-02
This is the sixth report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 2, 2022, positive cases have risen to 135 from 94 on March 1, 2022.
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2022-03-01
This is the fifth report released by the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to the rise of covid cases in American Samoa. As of March 1, 2022, positive cases have risen to 94 from 85 on February 28, 2022.
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2022-02-28
This is the fourth report released to the public by the Department of Public Health notifying the public of American Samoa of the number of cases that the island has as of February 27, 2022. From the past three reports, it seems as if from the past three days till now, the number of cases jumped from 22 to 85. While a summary is provided of the situation, upcoming events and health advisories are also included in the report for the public to continue to practice and where to get tested, vaccinated, or the booster shot.
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2022-02-25
This is the third report on the COVID cases in American Samoa. The public is informed to get their vaccination and booster shots and to practice good hygiene social distance and wear masks. The number of cases is now 63.
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2022-02-25
This is the second report from the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to reporting the number of cases in American Samoa. After a day, the number of cases jumped from 22 to 53.
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2022-02-24
This is a report from the American Samoa Department of Public Health in regards to reporting the number of cases American Samoa has with COVID reaching the island. Ever since cases began to rise on the island, the American Samoa Department of Public Health has been releasing these situational reports on COVID cases publicly and weekly. The importance of these reports was to keep the public inform and we could see just how fast the disease spread in a significantly high amount weekly or even in a couple of days.
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2022-04-23
this is a short reflection about the changes that happened during the covid-19 pandemic and the divide that occurred amongst American people
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2022-04-14
This is an Instagram post by dehart_perks. This is a parody of the "I Stand with Ukraine" social media trend that became popular with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is making fun of people that follow the media narrative, whether it is for which side to support in a war, or getting vaccinated. The extra things that are added, are biolabs, which some believe are responsible for helping create COVID itself.
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2022-04-15
This is an Instagram post by covid_parent. This is a parody of "I Stand with Ukraine" posts that have become popular over social media since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Instead of saying that they stand with Ukraine, it is saying they stand with Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company. It is mocking the type of people that just follow any trend, whether it is vaccines, or which side to support in a war. The hashtags call the pandemic a "scamdemic" and references the "New World Order." These tags indicate the overall feeling that the pandemic is partly, or completely planned, in order to exert more control over people and limit their freedoms.
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2022-04-18
This is an Instagram post by angelicaviator. This person suggests that more natural cures can help with COVID symptoms. Since natural cures don't make profit for the healthcare industry, this is why this person thinks that they are often overlooked. The picture that goes with this has types of juicing suggestions on what goes best against a certain ailment.
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2022-04-20
This is an Instagram post by city_slicker_bnswagon. This person is questioning the way we think of the science surrounding COVID. This person thinks that the virus is more political than it is about health.
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2022-04-22
This is an Instagram post by hoploninc. This company is wishing everyone a Happy Earth Day. The post itself is relevant because it shows an anthropomorphized version of an earth in a mask, crushing COVID with its foot. Next to it is a personified roll of toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Since the pandemic began, masks and hand sanitizer have become more commonplace to combat COVID.
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2022-04-22
This is an Instagram post by cabbiecat. This user posted a comic that is referencing the recent lift on plane mask mandates in the United States. The comic itself is suggesting that by people removing their masks that COVID will spread easier.
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2022-04-22
This is an Instagram post by themeatofit. This is an illustration of someone wearing a mask. The person wearing the mask looks miserable. In the tags the artist uses, he wants the mandates to end. One person, jake._.robertss, suggests that if the person is wearing a properly fitted KN95 or N95 mask that the person will be more protected.
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2022-04-22
This is an Instagram post by aecmvy. This person is reminding everyone that COVID is still out there. Right now, she is quarantining. In the hashtags, she advises people to wear a mask, get vaccinated, and quarantine.
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2022-04-22
This is a news story from the New York Post by Yaron Steinbuch. Dr. Anthony Fauci has went against what the Florida judge has said against the mask mandate. He says that she does not know enough about health to make a decision.
The judge's decision has also sparked a response from the White House. On Wednesday, the Justice Department filed a notice that it will appeal US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle’s ruling at the behest of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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2020-07
I remember when I received the news that we would be taking 2 weeks off of school due to covid-19. I thought that the world would quarantine, and life would proceed to normal. I was a sophomore in high school and very religious at the time. Soon enough the 2 weeks passed by, but now we had to spend even more time at home. After a month or two, and the grocery store shelves started to empty, that's when I finally realized how much of an impact covid-19 was going to have on my life. I realized that my now temporarily online school was going to remain that way in the foreseeable future. My weekly Sunday church services were canceled as well. School quickly became an unbearable chore for me. My high school was not efficient in the slightest at conducting school online. Their idea of an ‘improved’ online course was simply to assign more work. I had had enough. I decided I was going to be in control of my education, not covid-19. During junior year, I decided to get high school over with and graduate early. It was not easy, but I buckled down and completed two years of school all during my 3rd year of high school. Because I was not attending church or in-person school anymore, I was able to dedicate more time to complete high school early. By the time my church was open again to the public, I had other priorities in my life. I no longer had the time or motivation to keep attending these meetings. Even when I officially graduated high school, I found religion to no longer be an interest of mine. I had become accustomed to life without church. Now that I am almost done with my first year of college as a 17-year-old, I find that covid-19 is not much of a stressor in my life anymore. I am also glad that quarantine allowed me the opportunity to see what my life is like without religion. If it weren't for the pandemic, I’m almost certain I would still go to my church services and dread it every single time. As hard as the pandemic was for me, and as difficult as it was to get through quarantine, I’m grateful that it changed my life in the ways it did. I grew a lot during this time period and it made me grateful for the freedoms I already have every day.
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2020-07-22
This is a screenshot of a Twitter post originally posted by a high school in the Deer Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Arizona.
From March 2020 to August 2020, the schools in DVUSD were entirely virtual. Therefore, during the summer, the high schools offered a drive-thru style opportunity for students to pick up their district-issued Chromebooks. This was done in order to help ensure that all students had access to class prior to school starting.
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2020-09-16
This screenshot is of a post from Barry Goldwater High School, which is part of the Deer Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Arizona.
Though the school year started virtually, they began bringing students back to in-person learning in September 2020. The photo included shows desks that are spaced apart (using tape). Students were to be 3 feet apart should-to-shoulder. This shows methods used by schools during re-opening.
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2020-08-05
This is a screenshot from a public high school's Twitter page. The photo is of a sign posted in the front of the school that says "Heroes Work Here". These signs were posted throughout the Deer Valley Unified School District at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year in order to celebrate the work of teacher's who were started the year virtually and would transition to in-person.
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2020-09-14
This item is a screenshot of an Arizona high school's return-to-learning plan. When public schools were able to reopen, this high school chose a phased approach. For this, different grades would start in school at different dates. For the grades that were not in school yet, they would continue to attend online. Teachers were to teach students virtually and in-person at the same time. This method was used so that the schools could monitor and adjust for social distancing and disinfecting with less students on campus.
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20201-07-30
Me and my girlfriend caught covid at the same time and were struggling to move our furniture into our storage unit. This was a challenging task because we were so fatigued and weaken from the virus.
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2022-04-21
This a screenshot of a Twitter post. In the post, @DrumUltimA describes how even in April 2022, COVID-19 is still having major effects on different aspects of his life. He also points out that he disagrees with so many precautionary measures being dropped.
These viewpoints are important as it shows that even though many mandates, regulations, and laws meant to prevent COVID-19 have been lifted, COVID-19 is still around and causing many problems for people.
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2022-04-19
A Twitter user, who works in a hospital, shares her frustrations after masks are no longer federally required on planes. Many people are happy about this ruling, but others, especially those on the "frontlines" in the hospitals, are expressing their frustrations with people acting as if the pandemic is over.
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2020-04-05
During quarantine in the early stages of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I started my own pressure washing business. I realized that everyone would be at home almost all day everyday so I wanted to make a little money by cleaning neighbors' exterior parts of their homes. My parents had all of the supplies already so I just borrowed their pressure washer and garden hoses. I went door-to-door asking people if they wanted any pressure washing down and it turned out that almost everyone on my street and in my neighborhood wanted me to pressure wash their driveways and sidewalks. In 6 weeks, I made over $3,000 and that was a lot of money for me at the time. I learned a lot about business and how to negotiate a deal during this time. Mostly everyone I know was at home watching Netflix or playing board games during quarantine, but I was outside pressure washing for my neighbors.
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2022-04-12
This is a news story from Bloomberg by Madison Muller and Ella Ceron. According to recent reports, the overall amount of STDs went down with the lockdowns in early 2020, but then started to rise again near the end of 2020. Gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis all surged later in the year to exceed 2019 totals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in the report. Chlamydia remained the most common STD for the year, although cases declined overall, likely because of under-diagnosis.
Possible reason why the numbers may be decreased for the beginning of 2020 might not be because of the lockdowns entirely. Some people in 2020 skipped doctor's appointments where they could have gotten diagnosed, in addition to resources being low during the height of the pandemic.
Other trends included in this study are the rates of health insurance among certain demographics. Black people, in addition to LGBTQ people, are shown to have lower rates of having health insurance.
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2022-04-15
This is a news story from Now This News by Talia Smith. The author says that over the course of the pandemic, BIPOC and autistic women have been disproportionately affected. BIPOC parents who were not able to work remotely struggled to support their autistic children.
One study led by the NIH analyzing the impact of the pandemic on BIPOC and low-income populations shows that families with a child living with autism witnessed an increase in sleep issues and behavioral problems, in addition to increased conflict between children and adults and the use of more severe disciplinary methods.
In a study published in “Molecular Autism,” researchers revealed that for adults with autism, the pandemic brought relief from certain stressors like “sensory overload” and ultimately led to an “increase in solidarity.”
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2022-04-21
This is a news story from the Hindustan Times. There has been a study showing that women tend to be affected more by 'Long COVID' symptoms than men do. The research was published in the Journal of Women's Health. In the study, women are more likely to have fatigue, difficulty swallowing, and chest pain after a COVID infection compared to men.
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2022-04-19
This is a news story from Variety by Jem Aswad. The author here is talking about rising COVID cases among touring musicians. She says that while no official data exists, social media posts from band members and musicians postponing or canceling concerts due to someone testing positive has been the way to find this data.
Some musicians are demanding their audience members wear a mask, as if one member of the group tests positive, it could mean more financial trouble in the future.
“I am not a big band,” indie musician Sasami tweeted earlier this year. “If we get COVID and have to cancel shows I’m fully FUCKED. If you love me at all, please wear a mask and buy merch so we can keep touring.”
The indie and mid-level touring acts are hit the hardest by COVID, as canceling a show could mean more financial hardship. Those artists will typically play smaller venues too, and for smaller audiences, meaning that every show does count when it comes to money earned. The costs associated with postponed shows are daunting. “If a person on the tour tests positive, you still have to pay for lodging and food, and for a bus or other vehicles if you’ve rented them — and there’s zero money coming in for those shows,” Long says. “And,” he adds, “if the show being canceled is a festival date” — which, like other “tentpole” dates on a tour, are often much more lucrative than club shows — “it can mean a tour that was profitable is suddenly unprofitable.”
The impact that COVID has had on performers themselves sometimes goes unnoticed, especially for smaller acts. This article helps show the ways performing arts has changed due to COVID.
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2020-03-13
I was a college senior at Boston College from 2019-2020. I remember having a job opportunity lined up, an apartment lined up, and the rest of my school year lined up as well. Upon return from spring break, we were all told to go home and that we had 3 days to gather our things and say goodbye...
Upon losing my job, my friends, and my school, I did not know what to do, especially with a deadly virus in the air. Out of this journey, though, I applied to grad school and ended up achieving my dreams of getting a Master's in History.
So, the pandemic had its struggles but it also had its benefits and I am a prime example.
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2020-04-20
Before boarding the plane from Dallas, TX to Lima, Peru we had to demonstrate that we had two masks. On arriving in Peru, we were advised that we'd have to wear two masks. When we got to Peru, a lot of people were double-masked, but no one seemed to be checking or enforcing the rule. The airport in Lima is full of social distancing and hygiene measures such as markers on the floor while waiting to pass through security, signs reminding people to wear masks and wash their hands, and plastic sneeze guards in-between seats outside airport gates. Even when connecting to the WIFI at the airport, you'll see an image of a llama wearing a face mask.
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2022-04-19
This is a news story from The New York Post by Mark Lungariello. This is about Disneyworld lifting the mask mandate for the parks. It says that vaccinated guests have the option of wearing a mask or not. However, public transportation, like the monorail and buses, will still require masks. This change comes not long after a federal judge ruled against the mask mandates in Florida.
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2022-04-20
This is a news story from USA Today by Ella Lee. This is about pushback against the lifting of the mask mandate, as it has made immunocompromised people afraid.
"Being immunocompromised, it's already a huge risk getting on a plane with everybody masked," said Derek Schmitz, 17, of Oxford, Alabama, who takes immune-suppressing arthritis medication and has to fly for work as a disability advocate. "Now, knowing that I most likely will be one of the only people on a plane with a mask is petrifying."
After the lift of the mandate for planes and other public transportation was voided, ride share companies like Uber and Lyft have followed suit in removing their own mandates.
"I was angry and felt hopeless," said Erin Masengale, 33, who has multiple autoimmune diseases treated by immunosuppressants. "I just want people to realize that when they cheer for the ending of protections, they’re cheering for the ending of access to everything for people like me."
Under the strict definition of immunocompromised, only about 3% of Americans fit that definition. Though, the author mentions that disabled and chronically ill people, a much larger population, also face risk with the lifted mandates.
The question I have for people that read this is: is it worth it to keep the mandate even though it caters to a relatively small population? Would it be wiser for people already with these ailments to mask on their own instead of mandating it for everyone else, especially if overall cases and hospitalizations are lower? These are the questions I have after reading this article. I am not against people masking when they see fit, but it is clear that these mandates have worn many people out.
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2022-04-20
This is a news story from Skift by Anna Mehler Paperny. This says that Canada will keep the mask mandate for planes. The Canadian government said it has no plans to lift the mask mandate after a US federal judge in Florida struck down the mask mandate for planes. Canada's spokesperson for the Transportation Minister wrote in an email that “We are taking a layered approach to keeping travelers safe, and masks remain an incredibly useful tool in our arsenal against Covid-19."'
The safety measures that travelers to and from Canada are beyond just masks though. The federal government also requires citizens to track close contacts for fourteen days. Masking and other such safety measures have been shown to have more popularity in Canada, with surveys in agreement with the mask mandates as they are right now.
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2022-04-19
This is a news story from CNBC by Spencer Kimball. It says that the TSA will not enforce the COVID mask mandate on planes after a court ruling by a federal judge in Florida. The CDC, however, still recommends people wear masks while using public transit. The US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle said that the CDC failed to provide adequate reasons for the mandate. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says that the White House will appeal this ruling, with the Justice Department determining if ti will appeal.
Airlines themselves are fairly divided on the issue. The Association of Flight Attendants, the nation's largest union of cabin crew, has offered a neutral stance on the mask mandate since it is a divisive issue within the union. Meanwhile, other airlines have asked the Biden administration to drop the mask mandate and other restrictions on citizens.
Currently, the CDC says that hospitalizations have plummeted by 90% since the peak of Omnicron in January, and agencies are using this type of data to argue for why mandates should be lifted.
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2022-04-20
At the Lima airport, the escalators contained the faint markings of social distancing indicators. The red Xs let you know to wait and the image of two feet is to indicate where you stand. Masks are still required inside the airport.
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2022-04-20
Looking back at the beginning of the pandemic seems surreal. I remember hearing in December 2019 or January 2020 about some sickness in China. However, I had lived through the Ebola scare and multiple different flu outbreaks and my life had not changed day to day. People would get scared and then it would pass after a couple months with little effect. This would turn out to be different and unlike anything seen in the developed 21st century world.
I left my school for Spring Break and though I would return to my final days at Mustang HS and the fun events that came with graduating. My family and some friends traveled a few hours from our house to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and stayed nearby in Medicine Park, Oklahoma. It was a sleepy turn of the century resort town that had seen better days when the rich and powerful of Oklahoma had made it a vacation spot. Although not as popular as it once was, it is being rediscovered by local people for its natural beauty and relatively cheap costs. It seemed like a normal vacation, and we did not see very many people as it wasn’t yet summer and there are not that many locals. We hiked trails at the wildlife refuge and went into town for food and trinkets. It was a nice quiet start to the week.
Then all of the sudden everything began to change. We watched the news and saw on social media that the virus that was a world away had now made its way to America. We still were not very worried because we were pretty isolated, and either were hiking outside on trails with little activity or tucked away in our cabin playing games and hanging out. Then cases started to explode, the economy started collapsing, people were getting sick everywhere and no one knew what to do. We went into a restaurant in town and did not know how to act; we were all rubbing germ-x all over ourselves and keeping our distance as best we could. At this point we still figured it would all blow over after a few weeks.
As our spring break drew to a close, our school let out a statement that we were not going back the next week. This was exciting news and I figured it was all just a precaution and I would be back in class the week after with all of this just a big laugh and some extra time off. Boy was I wrong.
On the drive home my dad, who is a semi-prepper, was coming up with all sorts of scenarios and making plans for if the world collapsed but it honestly still felt like we were only entertaining ourselves. As we rolled back into my town, it looked like a beehive had exploded. People were driving crazy, every gas pump was full, and the Walmart was almost wiped out. That is when it started to sink in that things might be worse than I first thought. Then the first deaths started getting reported and it really seemed serious. I never went back to a high school classroom. My whole life changed from that point on. My first 2 years of college seemed almost fake and as of right now I have had COVID 3 times; the original, delta, and omicron. My family has also had it multiple times. We were some of the lucky ones to make it through with no lingering problems and for my older family members, with their lives. It is now April 2022 and things have finally started to go back to somewhat normal, but another wave could happen at any time. Corona Virus has changed our world and is going to be with us forever.
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2021-09-30
I feel bad that my mom's boyfriend died back in September, but he was also an idiot who did it to himself. I have complicated feelings here and I hope they're worth sharing.
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2022-03-07
This article is about the Covid Memorial event held at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe on March 7, 2022. The event was organized by the Arizona Historical Society, the nonprofit organization Marked By COVID and the COVID Memorial Quilt project. The Covid Memorial Quilt is on display until August, 2022 at the Arizona Heritage Center.
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2022-04-20
This story is important for me to share because it highlights my change in perspective that culminated through the pandemic.
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2022-03-08
This article is about the Covid Memorial event held at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe on March 7, 2022. The event was organized by the Arizona Historical Society, the nonprofit organization Marked By COVID and the COVID Memorial Quilt project. The Covid Memorial Quilt is on display until August, 2022 at the Arizona Heritage Center.
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2022-03-07
This article is about the Covid Memorial Quilt exhibit at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe. The Arizona Heritage Center is a museum of the Arizona Historical Society. This article describes the quilt and the memorial event held on Monday, March 7, 2022. The event was sponsored in part by the non-profit group Marked by Covid which honors those who have died of Covid 19. Almost 28,000 Arizonans have died of Covid as of March 7th.
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2022-03-07
This article is about the Covid Memorial Quilt exhibit at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe. The Arizona Heritage Center is a museum of the Arizona Historical Society. This article describes the quilt and the memorial event held on Monday, March 7, 2022. The event was sponsored in part by the non-profit group Marked by Covid which honors those who have died of Covid 19. Almost 28,000 Arizonans have died of Covid as of March 7th.
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2022-03-07
This article is about the Covid Memorial Quilt exhibit at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe. The Arizona Heritage Center is a museum of the Arizona Historical Society. This article describes the quilt and the memorial event held on Monday, March 7, 2022.
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2022-04-20
we just arrived to Peru This morning. Before we got on the plane we were told that we would have to show two masks because in lima we would need to double mask while walking around no one seems to be checking if you have one mask or two masks but everyone is wearing a mask. This is a photo of the free breakfast the airport hotel provided this morning after waking up. You’ll notice the sign that says Masks are obligatory. We’re staying at the Wyndham Costa Del sol hotel.