Looks like we all need a refresher on wtf is going on with COVID-19. Luckily, Alzo Slade is here to help.

Man, these times we’re living in are crazy.

Remember when the Rona first hit and people were fighting over toilet paper? Or in a house with nothing to do but hang out with friends online? Or watch another streaming show that you can’t believe you’re watching (but you’re still watching)?

Then things erupted across the world after the police killing of George Floyd. Then states started opening their doors for business as if the Rona just disappeared – but guess what?The Rona is still here and this is what it looks like:

Look at this woman in the grocery store. She ain’t wearing a mask. And then this dude without a mask invades her body bubble (talking waaay too close). He has the Rona and she’s about to get.

The Rona usually slides in through the nose, mouth and the eyes. It goes to the throat and lungs where there’s a whole bunch of cells that line the walls of our respiratory system. This is where the Rona sets up shop, turning these cells into a virus factory.

You see, healthy cells have a machinery to reproduce themselves but when the Rona comes through, it punks the cell into using this machine to make more viruses. It makes so many that it gets bloated and dies. When that cell dies, all those viruses are released into the body to repeat this savage process on other healthy cells. This happens over and over – leaving a whole lot of dead cells and Rona viruses in our lungs.

The Rona is putting in work, but at this point, we’re still hanging out and kicking it because there are no symptoms yet. For the Rona, this is just the incubation period. It takes anywhere from two to 14 days after the virus has set up shop for symptoms to show. It’s usually a sore throat to start because that’s where the virus first camps out. By this time your body may be recognizing that something ain’t right, and your body starts to fight a little bit. Viruses don’t like heat, so your body raises the temperature. That’s your fever. The coughing and sneezing is your body trying to dislodge the virus and kick it out. At this stage, the Rona is in a group infecting all the healthy cells it can find, but as these cells are dying, they send a message to the immune system, “Dude, we are catching up beat down. Somebody send some help, please.”

Now the immune system kicks into gear and they’re ready to fight. They come in and start blowing stuff up, trying to kill the infected cells because they’re the ones making all the viruses. The problem is they’re not just killing the infected cells – they’re killing the healthy ones too. More lung cells are dying, this triggers a storm of immune cells that show up and wreak havoc causing more damage. Now they’re all these dead cells floating around in your lungs making it hard to breathe. The battle causes inflammation and that’s painful.

As bad as this sounds, roughly eight out of 10 people will survive this stage and be fine. The immune system gets their act together, wins the war and recovery begins. In severe cases though, the immune system can’t figure it out and the lungs are all messed up from the fight. Now a ventilator is needed to do what the lungs can’t do any more. With the lungs are jacked up, oxygen flow to other organs ain’t really happening and the body begins to shut down.

I know this sounds pretty bad and it is, but it doesn’t have to be.

• If you’ve been out touching all sorts of stuff, don’t touch your face until you’ve washed your hand. Rona doesn’t like soap and water.
• If you have to be out wear something over your face, a mask or a bandana it ain’t foolproof, but it’s better than being face naked.
• If you’re sick but don’t know it – wearing a mask makes it harder for you to spread the Rona. Especially that someone who speaks with those strong C’s, T’s and P’s your mask will help protect you from the Rona filled spit droplets.

Keep distance between you and other people with that six-foot radius body bubble. And if you don’t need groceries and it’s not an emergency, stay your ass at home.

CREDITS

Executive Producer

Alzo Slade

Written & Voiced By

Alzo Slade

Animation By

Black Women Animate

Adriel Loza

Chaz Bottoms

Grant Chudler

Sound Design

Bailey Math

MEDICAL ADVISOR

Dr. Joshua Kaufman

Special Thanks:

Dr. K. Torian Easterling

Zachary Fuhrer

SOURCES

Center For Disease Control

New England Journal of Medicine

Harvard Health

Johns Hopkins Medicine

For more information visit The Centers of Disease Control And Prevention