Becky Wolf, RN, Greene County public health director, provided the following commentary with her final Covid-19 update for the year.
“Since February 2020, we’ve been living in a historic period of the 21st century, the COVID-19 pandemic, a novel virus that has stricken millions and caused over 300,000 deaths in the United States, not unlike the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.
“Many of you have witnessed how healthcare and personal protection practices literally evolved day-by-day, based on the most current information provided at federal, state, and local public health levels. Caring for our patients with an inadequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), learning about prevention measures, and raising our kids during an uncertain time have caused economic, mental and physical stressors. We want our lives to return to a previous normal. We’ve grown tired and possibly complacent about social distancing, masking, and avoiding crowds, especially during recent holiday weeks.
“But what about our friends, co-workers and family members who’ve personally suffered or lost their lives? How do we demonstrate that we still care about our communities and make it clear that “we’re in this together?”
“’It takes a village’ to make a difference during such a contagious pandemic, but I’m ‘Greene County Proud!’ Enacting a masking mandate, creating ways to continue education for our kids while remote, increasing the awareness of how to protect ourselves, removing silos between community organizations by working together for a common goal, protecting our staff and long-term residents from exposure, AND maintaining our 14-day positivity rate of 9-12 percent for over one month. YOU DID THIS and I COMMEND YOUR EFFORTS!
“So, what’s next in our pandemic tool box?
- Healthcare workers and providers will be on high alert for increased influenza and COVID-19 activity two-14 days following holiday gatherings
- Continue being consistent with social distancing, masking, avoiding crowds, hand washing, and staying home when sick
- Get your flu shot if you haven’t already. It’s not too late!
- Get the COVID-19 vaccine when you become eligible. It’s safe and effective, at least 20 percent more effective than the flu shot. Common side effects – shoulder soreness, body aches, and headaches – may occur one to three days after the vaccination, lasting 24 hours or so. I promise….IT’S SAFE! I’ve been giving vaccines of all kinds for nearly 40 years and have no qualms about how it was developed, the time line for production (which is monumental), or clinical trial results. Please TRUST me and get your vaccine!
- If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19, wait at least 90 days after the symptoms onset before getting the vaccine.
- The Moderna vaccine arrived Dec. 23. Over 150 employees, healthcare workers, and longt erm care residents have been vaccinated so far. We need your help to provide positive feedback about our efforts. You are a role model for the public. If you speak negatively, others follow your lead, possibly making a decision without the correct information.
- How long will this pandemic last? Possibly another one to two years until we can fully snuff the virus out. The responsibility sits on each of our shoulders and our ability to vaccinate as many people as possible until we reach “herd immunity” of at least 70 percent having received both doses of vaccine. With a population of 8,888, at least 6,200 Greene County residents need to be vaccinated!”
Wolf’s final update for 2020 shows a total of 668 cases of Covid-19 in the county as of Thursday morning, Dec. 31. That’s 7.5 percent of the total population of the county. Of the total cases, 543 individuals have recovered and 125 have active cases. There have been seven deaths due to Covid-19.
Nine new cases of Covid-19 were identified in the past 24 hours. There have been 11 new cases in the past three days, 19 new cases in the last seven days and 40 new cases in the past 14 days. The 14-day positivity rate for testing is 9.2 percent.
Positive cases by zip code are:
- Jefferson: 371
- Scranton: 86
- Churdan: 442
- Grand Junction: 49
- Rippey: 28
- Paton: 39
- Dana: 1
- Coon Rapids: 5
- Bagley: 6
- Jamaica: 5
- Perry: 5
- Lake City: 1
- Gowrie: 3
- Bayard: 1
Breakdown for age groups for Greene County positive cases is as follows:
- 0-18 years: 15 percent
- 19-39 years: 28 percent
- 40-59 years: 32 percent
- 60-74 years: 20 percent
- 80 and older: 5 percent
