Dear Edwin:

Your post, “COVID-19 Around the World: El Salvador,” makes me a bit anxious because you talk about everything from death to losing a job to not being able to reach your goals here in the United States, then you show us how much harder it might be in another country like El Salvador.

One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “It has caused loss of jobs, but perhaps what is harder to believe is the many deaths of people of all ages that it has taken away.” I think this is frightening and horrible because it’s bad enough that people have lost their jobs, but your writing makes clear that it could be much worse because of people of all ages dying. Right! So we worry about how difficult it is to have restaurants and schools closed, but what about the people who have lost family members to this pandemic?

Another sentence that surprised me was: “He personally experienced what it is to have the virus. He describes it as a normal flu with the only difference of the loss of smell and taste..” This stood out for me because I didn’t understand until I read this that your friend Juan actually got the virus! His lockdown and quarantine was more personally serious than I thought at first. Thank you for sharing this with us!

I did a quick check of the Covid numbers in El Salvador on this World-O-Meter https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/el-salvador/, and it looks like worst was this summer. Although the number of cases continues to climb right now. Have you seen this I thought you might be interested in this because you might be interested in the bigger picture in El Salvador and the kinds of risks your friend faces.

Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because you really make me think about my situation, your experiences, and you gave me a glimpse of what it looks like globally. I think it’s important to be aware of all of these different levels when it comes to Covid-19.

Edwin, this article is really interesting and informative. The main take I got was how different it is for some people in different countries. I think showing the experiences of others, especially in other countries is really important to show how some lucky some of us are.

Edwin you post is interesting I think this is frightening and horrible because it’s bad enough that people have lost their jobs, but your writing makes clear that it could be much worse because of people of all ages dying. I read that you friend Juan got the virus he lockdown and quarantine thank you for share this to us.

Edwin you post is interesting I think is sad to lose your job and I know that is hard to stay in home but is more healthy for you and for your family I see that your mom is a nurse some people is getting the vaccine and some are scare in mexico the vaccine is not there the people who is getting infected is losing the smell or the taste.

Dear Edwin,
I personally believe it’s terrifying and awful because it’s hard enough that people have lost their work, but your writing makes it clear that it may be even worse that people of all ages are dying. I read that your friend Juan has got the lockdown virus and thank you for sharing this with us in quarantine.
Rosa Zavala

Hi! After reading your Youth Voice post, I have to say that I totally agree with you. In my opinion I think that the age to be considered an adult should be 18 to 21. It gets confusing when states have different ages regarding when adulthood starts, especially with the age of consent. The government should establish a nation age of consent because a 14-year-old or 16-year-old should not be able to get married or decide on sex. The only thing I do not fully agree on is the age and decision for life in prison. To me, an 18-year-old has the ability to know what is right and what is wrong. If he or she knows what is right they should not land life in prison to begin with. Of course they are still young, but they are legally an adult and can be sentenced as one. Overall, I do agree with you about the age of being an adult. I think you brought up good points and reasons for why the age of being a legal adult matters.