WATCH: Chronicle: COVID & Recovery

right now on chronicle. It's very emotional. Powerful day to be vaccinated Now, as we reach new milestones in the fight against Covid. 19, we take stock of a year like no other in our lifetimes. More than 538,000 Americans have now died from coronavirus complications so many lives lost and even more drastically altered. We're just trying to focus on staying afloat, right? I really thought that that was gonna be the end of the business. Business is on the brink. Jobs and careers lost for every one stage they have opened. They have thousands of Africans, even our kids feeling the weight of what's happened. I was so worried about their physical health by not sending them back to school that I just I totally disregarded their mental health. Tonight we explore what's happened in this last year and how we're poised to come out on the other side. This is Wes to chronicle covid and recovery. Good evening, and welcome to chronicle. I'm Jim Payne. The past 12 months have felt like an eternity, haven't they? Routines upended, livelihoods decimated, lives lost. And yet here we are pushing through each day as fresh glimmers of hope begin to emerge. We've improvised. We've adapted, we've overcome. Tonight we'll look back on how the covid 19 pandemic has changed our world, how we've fought back and where things go from here. Each day, more vaccines are becoming available and more people are eligible to get them. And getting everyone vaccinated is the most critical action we can take to seize back the world order from this virus. One year ago, it was impossible to truly fathom where we would be today. Got to hang together on this. We can make it turn around. We really can help ensure these public safety measures and encourage social distancing. I am implementing a curfew. Long lines with weights, lasting hours. The reward. An unpleasant test with a potentially unreliable results. Stay at home owners only the essential allowed out and about restaurants and bars in salons and hangouts and churches closed the soul of society sullen and stricken. We want people for their safety, for the safety of this community. To remain at home, schools shut down remote learning, ramped up in the fall parent's worst covid fear. Send their Children back or stay at home with them, maybe sacrifice their jobs or entrust them to friends and family will be in Grandma's house. So so me and my wife can still go to work. Nearly half of small and midsize businesses taking a heavy hit from Covid, 1920% in Orlando, gone for good travel and tourism sputtered to a halt. The ripple effect spreading up and down and all around I for Walt Disney World Universal, Orlando Seaworld. Just about all of Florida's attractions would stay closed nearly four months. Food pantries and food giveaways become a lifeline for tourism workers and families. You guys are helping so many people some people can't afford. Anything like this is so great. Central Florida With the highest unemployment rates in the state, Orlando has has been the market that has struggled most these couple months. It's really tough isolation, loneliness and separation. For many of Florida's oldest residents in nursing homes and long term care facilities where Covid 19 was its deadliest, there is just the ache of the human heart that yearns to be connected to and in relationship to others. Yes, I want to get it finally, hope at the height of the pandemic long lines of vehicles with people seeking life saving serum constant reminders to keep fighting the good fight. Large holiday gatherings should not occur. It's the worst feeling in the world when people treat you like you got like the product play. Fear and anger and tension shut everything down to stop the spread or open everything up and feed the economy. Public health dependent on public trust I just won't be able to live with myself if we in fact everybody and we bring it home to our families and stuff like that and nearly every day. High stakes fact or fiction. What information is legit? What is bogus? A never ending battle against misinformation and the confusion and conflict that results. But over the last year, we have learned so much how properly wearing masks and keeping our distance can keep us healthy. The science has repeatedly proved it. Science is at the heart of attacking and terminating Covid 19. And with new variants adapting as quickly as we do, it's clear we have so much more to learn. Here's Paul Rivera Today I spoke with a medical expert who said Florida is in a period of awareness when it comes to the coronavirus. That was me at the end of last January, reporting in one of our first West covid stories standing in a crowded Orlando International airport, talking about a virus that had two reported cases in the U. S. The medical expert I was referring to was Dr Todd Husky, Seminole County's medical director. Where did that come from? Was the real question more than a year later, and we're meeting again after we met the first time, it really did take off. It was catching fire. You know, we're trying to predict how much it was going to spread through the community. We really had a hard time with that February March. We were in the community talking to people. Hey, are you worried about this? And nine times out of 10, it was No, we're not worried about it. I will admit that early on I went. It's not here yet, so I'm not going to worry. The virus is affecting people across the world, and now it's hitting home with one presumptive positive case here in central Florida. But by March, Florida was dealing with its first cases and many more that were undetected. The conversation then turned to testing to look for the virus. Obviously, we didn't have enough testing supplies, if you will. We didn't have enough test. They came up with some really elegant solutions. Simple but elegant. And it started doing it. We still didn't have enough tests. Then there was the issue about what test was it, you know, and how reliable are they? So we had so many questions around the testing that in some ways it's very important to get the testing done in other ways. How much do you trust it? It seemed like when we finally figured it out, as they say, the cat was out of the bag. The testing showed us the virus was almost in every corner of the United States. When you're later and now, the tests are being analyzed to find covid mutations like the U. K variant changes within the virus to better evade our immune system. Some worry these mutations could lower the vaccine's effectiveness, causing us to still get very sick, even with the shot. But University of South Florida's Michael Tang, a Tampa based virologist, has some reassurances. If we get ourselves vaccinated properly, if we maintain social distancing and masking, Um, this new variant that's starting to become a higher percentage of our cases shouldn't be a worry for the general public. The other ones that are, you know, worrisome, um that are starting to spread a little bit. These were keeping track of them. They're still very low percentage. Is the surveillance getting better? Because you told me at the beginning it just wasn't there. Right? And it hasn't been there. But now, now they're actually taking it seriously. Which brings us to the vaccine. Our main way of getting out of this whole thing. Were you surprised that the vaccines were available that quickly? Yeah, I was shocked. I mean, I remember saying early in the pandemic was asking When we have a vaccine and I say, Well, you know that this operation warp speed, they're trying to push for a vaccine within 12 to 18 months, and I thought that was really aggressive, you know, it had never been done before. True to the name of the Trump administration's vaccine push at warp speed, scientists drew upon years of research on other types of Corona viruses and a rapid understanding of the virus's genetic makeup to then create the life saving doses. These vaccines came out because A. The companies were invested in getting it out quickly because of the pandemic. The governmental regulatory agencies were invested in getting the vaccine out quickly and doing the regulatory, uh, checks as well. And the federal government was really invested in doing this, providing the financial resources all propped up by data from clinical trials that some Central Floridians were a part of. It makes a difference that somebody my age can really participate. I did it because I honestly wanted to help Pfizer. Biontech received the first emergency use approval in December, but again there were immense challenges. You've been very critical about the rollout. When it first started, it was coming out too slow. You're not the only one. A lot of people said that. How do you feel about it now as we go into the spring, do you feel better about it? I feel a lot better because there is a more comprehensive framework at the federal level, and I think you know, the states have gotten better at figuring out how to do it within the state Not only that, but overall treatments outside of the vaccine have gotten better. The goal now bring down the death. Slow the rate of transmission and shrink cases to nominal levels. Which leads us to the future and normalcy. I'm hoping that we see more our new normal in the fall, and this is one of those things, especially with the coming of the new school year. I'm hoping that we can get back to whatever our new normal is going to be. Just like when testing became available. Getting a vaccine appointment has been problematic at times. The state has a website to sign up. So does almost every county, as well as the private pharmacies and retailers administering the shots. But we've heard from so many people who are homebound and need a vaccine, the state has set up a special email address. If you're in this situation, it's on your screen now. Homebound vaccine at e m dot my florida dot com To put in your request something else. Doctors and scientists are still working to understand the lingering effects of covid. Some patients struggle to recover months after their initial coronavirus diagnosis. These covid long haulers have a range of symptoms, from headaches to lethargy, body aches and brain fog. The FDA just recently approved a type of DNA test to look at long hauler symptoms and potentially develop a treatment down the road. Next on Chronicle It's been a little bit rough, Um, in terms of looking for a job, so many in Central Florida are still out of work or struggling to catch up on bills after months of unemployment, whence the tide going to turn. And what about the broken unemployment system thousands encountered last year? We have an update Next. If you need links to the various websites for vaccine sign ups, take out your cell phone right now. Open your phone's camera AB and point it right at the Q R code on the screen. You'll be directed to our Vaccine Info page on west dot com. Mhm. Okay, yeah, yeah, sure, Yeah, sure. In central Florida, the Covid 19 pandemic seemed to strike in reverse before people got sick here by the thousands. Society shut down. Our local economy, powered primarily by tourism, came to a grinding halt. It meant the first crisis Central Florida dealt with was economic, then adding insult to injury, the state's unemployment system practically collapsed. People went weeks, even months, without the benefits they needed to pay the rent and keep the lights on. Now, with the slowly rebounding economy, are things any better? Bob Mezan checks in on the people who were laid off and let down. It's been a little bit rough, Um, in terms of looking for a job. Blue anti Aggie was furloughed early in the pandemic from her job in the hotel industry. Since then, she's been able to go back to work, but only a couple days a week and is trying to find a full time job for every one space they have opened. They have thousands of applicants, while restaurants, theme parks and many other industries are getting busier. Hospitality is still suffering, but the resorts are running skeleton crews because they just don't have the tours. You know Kim Paterson used to work in resort sales but has not been able to go back and is searching hard to find a new career path. And I am optimistic that I'm going to get a job. Um, you know, is it going to be in, you know, the amount of time that I wanted to be like tomorrow? Um, probably not. They're two of the hundreds of people West to has talked to. In the past year, as furloughs and layoffs swept across central Florida, Orange and Osceola County have been in the top three for highest jobless rates most of this time. Early on, the biggest crisis was just getting access to unemployment benefits. The only way to apply is through the Department of Economic Opportunities website Connect, which did not work. Hundreds of thousands of people could not submit their applications, and those who did either had to wait months to be approved or were rejected many times in error. Officials have blamed outdated technology and not enough servers to handle the millions of applications. This month, the state inspector general finally released its investigation into the systems maker Deloitte. It claims the state contract required Deloitte to test connect with 200,000 users at the same time, but only tested it with 4200 simultaneous users. I don't have a detailed explanation on why that was missed or not enforced by the state agency. The state frantically tried to patch up the system hiring or reassigning hundreds of employees to help CEO and dozens of physical servers were added to try to handle the flood of applications to Yogi Tells me, after months of problems, Connect does work better now. It has improved a lot. Um, I have not had to call in about anything if I have to switch from like one program to another. It's just a form that I have to fill out on my dashboard, and it automatically doesn't I upload whatever documents I need to upload, and it it doesn't. There are still problems, though. Indios new director Dane Eagle said this month in a state Senate hearing that the agency is working to rebuild the system, using parts of the old one, but also switching to a cloud based system that can better increase capacity when it needs to. It will be if we can move forward with the cloud, the modular, the new user face. It will be a new shiny car that we can, uh, give to the people of Florida. What has not changed yet is the law that decides the benefits that people can get. Florida has just about the lowest weekly payment amount at $275. The number of weeks that someone filing for jobless benefits this year can collect did increase from 12 to 19 because of a trigger in the existing law when the unemployment rate is high. But it's still a shorter time span than many other states. Still, there are signs of hope. Many of the people we talked to who had lost their jobs early in the pandemic tell me they have now either returned to work or found new jobs. And you have people like Paris Award who was furloughed at Disney. I didn't think it was, You know, anything was really gonna happen. I really didn't want to wait around for Disney. After months hoping for a call back to work, she decided to start a new hustle, a baking business that she says now has helped to fill the money gap. It started really small, not even planning, and then it took off to what it is now. She also recently got that call back to work at Disney. She's hoping she can now do both. I have a new drive again, like to get back into the working field. And, you know, I feel very positive about the future where if you ask me about four or five months ago, I would have, you know, I don't know what I'm gonna do and it doesn't look great, you know, Next Florida's open for business, but we know things are still not the same what industry leaders and small business owners have to say about surviving the pandemic. And later I needed someone need to understand what I was feeling. The psychological toll of Covid 19 from Children, two adults How we can all take better care of our mental wellness. Yeah, from the biggest names to the mom and pops, cutting back was the business model of 2020. We just talked about the people who are left unemployed across central Florida. But what about the businesses that employed them, who survived without customers or employees? Greg Fox shows us how historically bad it's been and how some savvy owners are saving their businesses. Not the magic of Tinkerbell's pixie dust could grant Disney's wish to fill Main Street USA. Not the magic wand of Harry Potter himself could breathe life into Universal's wizarding world. The coronavirus pandemic did what hurricanes and even 9 11 couldn't do slammed the door on the biggest employers in our biggest industry. Tourism. For weeks to date, Disney World has laid off nearly 25,000 local workers. Universal has let go more than 6500. Seaworld has handed pink slips to nearly 1900 workers. The catastrophic part of this was predominantly over the summer. Carol Dover is CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. She estimates 938,000 people two thirds of the Florida tourism and hospitality industry workforce were laid off. She believes the pandemic has already or will result in one third of our states 50,000 restaurants closing. That's why, she says, the state and local tourism agencies cannot spend too much to spread the word that Florida is open for business. Already, the fall and winter campaigns have helped restore half a million jobs. I believe that in my heart we will bounce back, and I believe we will bounce back faster. There are 49 other states that business rebound can't come soon enough for nickel Nandu and his family. They've been keeping their shops on international drive and in Qasimi open Thanks to you and your tax dollars, they're grateful to have received a paycheck protection program, or P P P money to keep 35 people on the payroll. It's definitely been very helpful. I think that without that, government assistance would have been pretty hard for us to stay open. Winter Park, like so many downtowns across the region, has been hit hard by the pandemic. For example, Peter Be Jules. It's one of 13 businesses on Park Avenue that have closed. You can see the space for lease and at Winter Park Village, four businesses, including walk on water and right across the street, the restaurant brio have closed, A study shows. Retailers and restaurants here lost $800 million last year. So last April was scary because everything was shut. The head of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce tells me the closures have forced owners to get creative to survive. The wine room was one of the first to expand delivery takeout and during phase one, reopening outdoor seating. And she's got a mask that matches some clothing Stores held virtual fashion shows to engage customers, and the city closed the Street for an outdoor, socially distanced Mother's Day celebration to give businesses a fighting chance to stay open. We've got to find ways to punch above our weight class, and I think that's what people have done. People like Tracy Klingler. We took some time to panic. She thought her store, Frank Boutique, which closed for eight weeks, would never reopen. It was time to straighten out the wrinkles in this economic lockdown. She and her tiny team turned to the Internet. Voila! Tracy's mostly walk in business, known for selling cool stuff like these sly Fox cards, became an online sensation. This just helped us understand that we can get through that. And there are other things we can do to keep the business thriving. Moline George feels like a survivor, too, but at first I was absolutely terrified. That's because her popular dining service at the Mad Crab Restaurant in Eatonville came to a halt. I really thought that that was going to be the end of the business. But instead of getting steamed, Melin turned to curbside pickup and delivery. See you next time. And now she and her son, Adrian, are selling more crab legs and wings and her dad's homemade fruit drinks than ever. Can you say, franchise? Hopefully within the next 18 months or so, you know you might be riding through an area and be like, Wow, that's mad crab stories that prove ingenuity and change, maybe the strongest medicine to cure ailing businesses in this pandemic. So when will Florida be back to those robust 2019 economic levels? The U. S Travel Association says the earliest it could happen is next summer, the summer of 2022. I've had other people say I don't want to take the vaccine because they're changing my d n A. Next on chronicle fighting the mistrust surrounding vaccinating minority populations and later, how much our kids learning from home here from students, parents and teachers about the impact of remote learning. Mhm. Mhm, Yeah, welcome back to West to chronicle covid and recovery. We've taken a look at what we've learned about the virus and how to beat it, as well as the economic impact of putting health first. And there's so much more to explore about this past year and how it's changed each of our lives. Access to vaccines has dominated the headlines these past few months, with the supply lagging way behind the demand. But there's another critical battle on the vaccine front, convincing some people it's safe. For some black Americans, the fear of what the vaccine might do to them is almost as bad as what Covid could do. Those fears are founded on the past. Medical experimentations black Americans endured for decades West to Stuart Moore spoke to experts pleading with people of color about the vaccine safety and one woman who says she's not sure Eatonville is the oldest town founded by black people in the United States. It also is one of the highest concentrations of people with diabetes in central Florida. A preexisting health issue like diabetes is one of the main reasons people who contract Covid 19 are hospitalized are killed by the virus. Despite that deadly combo, there's no vaccination site located in the town, and not everyone is eager to jump towards the front of the line to take the vaccine anyway, Remember, uh, talcum powder Johnson and Johnson baby shower. I used that before, and I was gonna have my ovaries taken out here to recommend, and I'm not too Sure about this. Now, mistrust has been growing between the black community and modern medicine since this nation was founded. You look at all the advancements in medicine that we've made over over lifetimes. Much of it has come at the expense and the experimentation on African Americans. So if you think about the Tuskegee experiment, there was a 42 year study around how syphilis affects the body without giving people medication and all of the participants in that study, where African American Anton Gunn was second in command at the Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration, His new goal is educating about health disparities across the country. Now he's hyper focus on convincing skeptics to trust the vaccine. I don't want to take the vaccine because they're injecting me with a microchip. I've had other people say I don't want to take the vaccine because they're changing my d n a. Uh Other people have said even more outrageous things than that, that this is how the government is going to be able to track us long term if we take the vaccine. And none of that is even true. It's not even remotely true. The vaccine is a prevention measure to keep you from feeling the effects of covid. 19. Even if you don't trust me or trust anybody that has gotten the vaccine, talk to a physician that you know and that you trust and take their advice. Sound medical advice is the best place, but don't google it. Dr. Google won't help you, Dr Webb. Andy won't help you talk to a real physician, someone that you know as a doctor and ask their best advice about whether you should take the vaccine or not. Doctor at a Banjo is a pediatrician with Orlando Health who says she's heard every excuse you can think of something else I've heard from family members and even from patients or concerns about the vaccine affecting fertility. And there's no data that suggests or supports that, Um, I've heard from some people about microchips being implanted and again. There's no data that supports that, Um, all of the data shows that these vaccines are effective and these vaccines are safe. The doctor took the vaccine, and she's telling others she believes the vaccine is safe. Whatever vaccine it is, um, you know, there's there's no point of waiting until one in particular is available. Whatever the first available vaccine, um, get that vaccine. Make that decision to, um protect yourself and to protect others back in Eatonville. While there are some people who say no thanks, several others have already rolled up their sleeves and went to pharmacies in neighboring communities are looking forward to the day they're able to do so. When it came to the vaccines, they educated us. They asked people that they will take it. No one was forced to take it, and so far I have not heard of anyone having any side effects. They're telling me to watch out for the symptoms of the vaccine, and I'm I'm just like, you know what? At the end of the day, you know, if this is going to help you, you know, going to get the vaccine, go for it. Bottom line experts and minority health advocates say they understand why there is caution, but the risk of not being vaccinated is way worse. You can either get the vaccine now and have the opportunity to live a longer, healthier life, or you could possibly get covid 19 and die in five days, and I had this conversation with a few friends of mine who were very hesitant about the vaccine. Their response was, Well, if I take the vaccine, I don't know what may happen to me in five years because I took the vaccine and my response to them. Do you want to worry about what may happen five years from now, or do you want to get the virus tomorrow and potentially die five days from now? Because I do know people who've passed away. My point would be is protect yourself, protect the people that are around you by taking the vaccine as soon as you have the opportunity to take it. You didn't need to come down with covid to have your health affected by the pandemic. Millions of Americans have had their sense of normalcy disrupted the people we love, who bring us joy no longer physically present. And we've all been stressed about getting the virus, losing our jobs or homes, a loved one, maybe even our lives. The psychological toll of this pandemic, maybe the next biggest health crisis we face. Here's Michelle Imparato. Yeah, reviews are better than joyful is how Melissa Lutz has always described her son Chase until the pandemic. You know, just one day I woke up and I didn't have the energy to even put clothes on. I just couldn't anymore. Months of isolation, remote learning and uncertainty took a toll on this vibrantly county 14 year old. He finally just broke down one day, literal tears. He just broke down and said he just needed help. A social kid who once enjoyed being on stage a straight, a student was now struggling, not sleeping and skipping school assignments, falling deeper into depression. I was so worried about their physical health by not sending them back to school that I just I totally disregarded their mental health. The day her son collapsed in her arms, Melissa New Chase needed help. Terrible. Not being able to fix him is the hardest thing. By the end of the week, Chase had an appointment with a therapist. I really needed somebody to give me, like, some kind of solution, a hope or, you know, an answer and chases story is not unique. I kind of like the breakdown, anxiety and a couple of different forms. Nick Di Gianni Vittorio, a therapist in Orlando, says more young people have been reporting feelings of anxiety and depression since the start of the pandemic. They're not at that developmental age to understand exactly what's fully going on. And a recent study in the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal also found a significant increase in suicide ideation and attempts among young people early in the pandemic compared to the same time the year before. Dijana Vittorio says it's hard for teens to see all of this as temporary. He also says they're missing out on a critical time in their lives there at a very early age, seeing a loss of their identity, and it's at that age that we need to develop our identity as well, too. So we're seeing this gap now of how do I develop my identity when I'm stuck here at home. But teens certainly aren't alone. Adults are struggling to, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in any given year, one in five people in the U. S. Reported having a mental health condition. Now, mental health experts suggest that figure is two in five or possibly even higher. There's only so much one person can do. For Sasha Handelman, taking care of his mental health has been a priority most of his life. The anxiety and depression. It's a battle, you know. It's a silent battle that many people don't feel comfortable Opening up about. The pandemic made it challenging to stay in a healthy state of mind, Sasha says, especially when his baseball season came to an abrupt halt as an umpire in Daytona Beach. Calling games is his profession and his passion, the feeling of, you know, isolation being alone. I think as humans, we are social people. We need that interaction and the inability to see somebody or to talk to this way. It's hard. As the months dragged on, Sasha found comfort in the company of his cat, Mitzi, taking walks and talking with friends and family. More recently, he feels a sense of routine again now that he's back out on the baseball field. Take time out of your day to really appreciate, you know what you have. You know that you are alive right now that you are able to, you know, enjoy life and be thankful for it. But many people unable to cope have spiraled into addiction According to the CDC. Overdose deaths accelerated during Covid. We are very remorseful and Saturn about what's going on in the external world. So what's the easiest way? Let me try to numb my sense as to what's going on and just kind of go through the days. Experts early on predicted the pandemic would deteriorate mental health in America, and now they say, the impacts could persist. This is going to be lingering right now, at least for the next five years, not the necessary medical with the mask or things like that, but the mental health of even the idea of what is going to happen again. Today. Chase is doing better. He's back in the classroom with friends, he says. It's been an adjustment, but he's learned a lot because I'm just hoping sharing my experience and talking about it that encourages a lot more people might a lot more people my age and going through the same thing that I'm doing to just, you know, speak out and get some help. For years, so many have suffered in silence. Now the pandemic has in a way forced people to pay attention. Take it seriously, anything they have to tell you, Don't blow it off. Listen to them. There are resources available to help you or a loved one who may be struggling. The crisis text line is open 24 7 for anonymous free crisis counseling. Just text the word signs to 741741 The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1 802 738255 It's available 24 hours a day in both English and Spanish to help anyone struggling with difficult thoughts or feelings but virtual learning, it's hard to be consistent with it. It was kind of shocking because I didn't really realize how much I was falling behind. Students open up about the tolls of virtual learning Next on chronicle. Mm hmm. Yeah, this last year has taken an incredible toll on our Children, disrupted routines, separation from family and friends. And now we know for way too many setbacks in their education. Children, along with their parents and teachers, have struggled with online instruction. MEREDITH McDonough spoke to several students about remote and in class learning and why this year was so difficult. So I thought it was gonna be so easy I was like, Oh my goodness, I get to fly by my senior year, Um, but when it came to the papers that are required for my I B diploma, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I don't have in person instruction Sarah Holmes is a senior university high school in Orlando. She's part of the International Baccalaureate program, the National Honor Society, the soccer team, and began the black leaders of Tomorrow Club. Like many students in central Florida, she began the school year learning from home but quickly realized it wasn't for her. It was hard to retain information. Also, I felt really sleepy at home. I would fall asleep during one of the periods because I was in my house. In Florida, each school is responsible for tracking student performance, and for some students, remote learning has been the best fit. We do see launch head students that are thriving in that environment and have found that to be kind of the their connection to education. But for many others, it's been a struggle in January all districts in the states and letters to parents of students falling behind while learning from home at states in part of your child is not making adequate academic progress in the districts innovative learning modality and must be transitioned to another learning modality, face to face or in person as soon as practicable. If the parents chose to keep their student at home, they needed to sign off that they received this letter. I know we sent up 22,000 letters. There are 206,000 students in Orange County public schools. At the start of this school year, 32% of them were in the classroom, 68% using launch shed. Now those numbers have practically flipped to 60% in school and 40% at home in all central Florida counties. We've seen an increase in students heading back to school second semester in Marion, Volusia and Lake Counties, more than 80% of their students have returned to in person learning. I think we're doing considerably better than other school districts across the country who haven't even returned face to face at all. Venus and Livy, Alan, go to Howard Middle School pre pandemic. They were A and B students, but remote learning took a toll. I had bad grades, like I I had DS, which I had never had before, like that was this year was the first time I'd ever gotten a grade below a seat. So what was that like for you? It was kind of shocking because I didn't really realize how much I was falling behind. Mom and Dad helped in any way they could, but it was tough to see their Children struggle. She almost failed. Her first semester was an almost failing grade, and then second semester we saw as and Bs come back, my bright kids, right? I'm biased, of course, because I'm the parent. But watching their letter grades drop, I was beside myself. Even though the Allens have returned to in class learning, it still takes some adjusting. Being Mr Face has been, it's obviously better than and being online, at least learning wise. There are some downsides because of solely on the fact that the teacher is trying to focus on both in person and online. So if you're at home, I'd love for you to share out with us either, um, a mutant talk or type in the chat, and I'll share that, Orange County teacher Stuart Parker says. This has been one of the biggest challenges teaching students in class and at home at the same time. It's really hard to create lessons that are going to engage the students that you have face to face, that you can interact and you can engage how they're doing with their facial expressions and things like that, versus kids at home that are little small icons on the screen. So here's your part. All right. Parker hopes that since teachers now have the opportunity to get vaccinated, it will bring comfort to both teachers and students, allowing more to return. It will make me feel more comfortable when I have the vaccine to be able to walk around the classroom more and engage with the students more. In a year of much loss, there are now learning gains and plans in place to get students back on track. Orange County offered spring break camps to get students caught up there Saturday school face to face and online tutoring and summer school will expand it to two months. Students are learning resiliency. Our students are learning how to cope with something that they've never had to deal with, and for hopeful seniors like Sierra with ambitions of the White House. One day, she offered this advice to other students feeling behind. I know that it's very hard during this time, but just get up and try your best. Look for help for your from your peers. Get some support from other people. There's definitely people around you that want to see you succeed. So what happens with the new school year? Will everyone be back in the classroom? Every district told us they're waiting to see what the state requires. Interestingly, some local districts offered a type of remote learning well before the pandemic, and those will remain an option Still ahead. We are getting tired. This has been a very hard fight. We are not discouraged, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel finding our way out of the difficulties of this past year. When we come back, we're talking with some encouraging people who say it is possible. Yeah, mhm. So many people are longing for a future filled with old ways and comfortable habits. But let's face it, this virus isn't following a schedule. Adaptability and flexibility are the name of the game. I sat down with four people a man of science, a man of faith and two of our future leaders to ask, Where do we go from here? Did you just see something that you couldn't explain or that you hadn't seen before? I think that what we notice is that this thing was spreading pretty fast. Dr. Eduardo Oliveira, Overseas Advent Health I see you doctors in Central Florida. The pandemic has been hard on all of them much what What I have been doing over the past months is has been supporting the folks at the front lines and, um, creating an environment or fostering an environment of collaboration, but also acknowledging that there's tremendous stress. Tremendous, um, burnout, actually, amongst healthcare professionals, they have dealt with it. No one even turns on their camera during class No. One commutes. It's rare that people type inside the chat. So for me, I think the ability to develop new friendships and grow my past friendships is one of the worst parts of this pandemic. Hi, my name is Tiffany Gay from Orlando, Florida Tiffany Gay is an eighth grader at Orlando Science Middle School. She's attended virtually for almost a year her mother's pandemic experience as a nurse. There's approximately two million needle stick injuries inspired her to build this drop in medical waste like syringes at the top grinded up deposited below zero physical threat of contamination. And they grind the needles to go into this FDA regulated container. I had created the prototype, and something I included was a lot of creativity. These are the initial values, and this is the final one. Verone Madan is a junior at Lake Highland Prep, an award winning scientist who wouldn't let the pandemic stifle his outreach. I started my own five and one C three nonprofit organization called Everyone Deserves Stem his nonprofit funds projects for other young scientists at a time when pandemic opportunities are lacking. I forged a lot more new connections with different people that I wouldn't have ever imagined that I would have met otherwise. And there's this thing about being virtual people that you can meet so different from each other. Hey, that's so we can help right now. Tomorrow will be late. Pastor Walter Areas has spent 15 years building central Christiano dost potatoes, a mostly Hispanic church in Qasimi, which is now a covid 19 vaccination site, he says nearly 40% of his 1000 plus member congregation has had Covid 19. You've had it, too. I got it, too. Yes, and my wife and my son, uh, he says. At first he was at war with misinformation spread by members of his own flock. He demanded proof. Held church members accountable, says he preached the truth about Covid. 19, about the vaccine and what the Bible says. I cannot deny and an illness. I cannot deny a hurricane tornado, and we cannot deny death. But we have to believe in our spiritual being so high because we're spiritual beings. Are you optimistic about the future? Absolutely. Absolutely. Everybody has the capacity to change this world, and we've seen the best of people as well. It reaffirmed my idea that I wanted to be a doctor. I know I want to be a doctor because I want to help these people. You feel like you're getting a little more optimistic every day. I am. I am. We are getting tired. This has been a very hard fight. We are not discouraged, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. we are on the cusp of getting our lives back. While mutations of Covid 19 spell real harm for our health. Getting vaccinated, wearing masks and being smart about large gatherings is our ticket to restoring our freedoms. Think about what happens after. Most of the population has the antibodies to fight the virus. Travel resumes. Meaning our economy sees a turnaround. Independence Day may mean being liberated from our living rooms and backyards. And by the fall, remote learning could be something for the history books. Until then, wear a mask. Keep your distance. Get the shot. If we all do that, this pandemic will likely be over for the entire West to chronicle team. Good night. Yes. Mm hmm. Mhm, right.