Looking back at COVID-19

It has been just over 14 months since the first confirmed case of a new respiratory illness, and one year since the effects of the new pandemic first touched Perkins County.

Together, the community, the country and the world as a whole has worked to get through the uncharted waters of the last year, and finally an end is in sight.

The beginning of an outbreak

January 9, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a mysterious coronavirus-related pneumonia in Wuhan, China. 

The original source of this virus remains unclear to this day, but because many of the first infections were in those working at the same market in Wuhan, it has been suggested that is where the virus got its beginnings.

The earliest case dated back to Dec. 1, 2019, though it’s possible cases trace back to November. There is no evidence these cases were connected to the market outbreak.

The WHO recommended the name “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV” for the new illness. More popularly, the virus became known as COVID-19.

On Jan. 19, a 35-year-old man in Washington checked into an urgent care facility presenting with four-day-long symptoms such as a cough and a fever after returning from Wuhan where he was visiting family.

His test swabs were confirmed Jan. 20, and Jan. 21 the Center for Disease Control confirmed him as the first 2019 novel coronavirus case in the United States.

By Jan. 31, the virus had a worldwide death count of over 200, and cases had reached 9,800. The WHO issued a global health emergency for just the sixth time ever. The virus was quickly spreading, and was present at this time in the United States, China, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Air travel worldwide started becoming more and more restrictive, a trend that would continue far into the year.

The United States declared a public health emergency as cases continued to rise. Later in the month, it is noted that the virus meets two of the three criteria of a pandemic: illness resulting in death and sustained person-to-person spread.

The only criteria not reached to be a pandemic at the time was worldwide spread.

The virus reached Nebraska in early March, with the first confirmed case announced Mar. 6, 2020.

The WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic Mar. 11, 2020. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of WHO, said at a briefing in Geneva that the agency is “deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity” of the outbreak.

Just two days later, former President Donald Trump declared COVID-19 a National Emergency, which made funds available to help stop the spread of the disease.

At the time, experts were unsure of how the virus was transmitted, but recommended vigorous and frequent handwashing, frequent sanitizing of surfaces, social distancing of six feet or more and wearing face coverings.

March Madness

The week of March Mar. 15, 2020 was the week Perkins County finally felt the effects of the virus—not because anybody was sick, but because people wanted to be prepared.

Monday, Mar. 16, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts urged people to take certain actions to keep the virus from spreading. Among those was limiting gatherings to 10 people or less as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Schools were urged to close, and Perkins County Schools promptly ended in-person learning, prom and spring sports and activities. PCS planned to reopen Mar. 29, all the while making plans in case students were unable to return for the remainder of the school year.

In many areas of the state, restaurants and bars were allowed to remain open so long as they kept the number of patrons below 10.

Products such as toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer and cleaning solutions became scarce and difficult to locate. Potatoes, bread, sugar and flour also disappeared from the shelves.

Local stores implemented limits per customer on these items to prevent a shortage and issues with the supply chain, but nonetheless the chain was affected.

Valerie Hochstein, manager of Hatch’s said at the time that major suppliers such as Clorox, Lysol and Charmin had contacted her letting her know shipments would be behind schedule.

At this time, Hatch’s decided to close its doors and accept to-go orders over the phone in order to protect its older staff.

Cancellations and closings spread like the virus, ending March Madness, Supreme Court oral arguments, Nebraska Legislation, and NSAA spring sports.

Perkins County Health Services implemented several guidelines to keep hospital workers and patients safe, including closing down Park Ridge and Golden Ours to visitors, screening hospital patients and visitors and only allowing one person to accompany patients for outpatient procedures.

Mar. 18, the hospital had to use its first of the six tests they had on-site at the time. Mar. 23, the test came back negative. Before receiving this test, PCHS CEO Neil Hilton said the patient had to undergo preliminary screening for influenza A and B, along with a respiratory viral panel.

By Mar. 25, city offices of Grant had now closed, along with Hastings Memorial Library, the Perkins County Courthouse and Dr. Swan’s dental practice.

To close out March, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law, providing economic relief to American workers, families, and small businesses, and preventing economic damage from job loss.

Creeping closer

Normally April showers bring May flowers, but in 2020, it seemed all April brought was more COVID-19.

The month began with the announcement on Apr. 2 declaring the world had surpassed one million cases of COVID-19.

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