Grim Anniversary

 

March 15, 2021

Grim Anniversary

This week marks exactly one year since the Nation was shutdown due to the onset of the Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic. The first US outbreak was last year on February 29^th when a nursing home in Washington State became the start of what would be a terrible devastating year of suffering, death and sickness. An official pandemic was declared on March 1, 2020 and it was on the 17^th of March a year ago that Key West joined much of the nation in shutting down.

It has been a crazy, anxious and in many ways awful year since that all happened and the pandemic continues to rage, even though the past month has seen signs of a slowdown in cases and some home as the vaccines continue to get distributed. Currently there have been 29,255,188 confirmed cases in the United States and we have passed the horrific 500,000 milestone of deaths with 531,526 deaths due to Covid to date just in the US.

Locally, the numbers continue to climb as there have been 6,129 cases in Monroe County with 2,939 of them being in Key West and 47 people locally who have died due to the virus. As bleak as the past year has been, there are still some signs of optimism and hope as we enter year two of the pandemic. There are now three approved vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer each have a two-dose treatment and a newer Johnson & Johnson that only requires a single dose.

After a very slow rollout, the pace of vaccine distribution had begun to accelerate as it is being offered by the local Health Department as well as by the pharmacies at Winn Dixie and Publix grocery stores. Getting an appointment, especially locally remains difficult as there still are only a limited amount available, but the shots are getting out and the situation looks to be improving day by day.

The downside is that once again the island is jam packed as spring breakers have returned for their annual pilgrimage to warmer climes. Thousands of non-mask-wearing, non-socially distancing mostly younger people are gathering in potential super spreader events every day, raising fears of another spike in the number of cases just as we seem to be turning the corner for the home stretch. I know Kathy and I are being extra careful in these last few months before we get the vaccine as we certainly do not want to be among those who come down with the virus just as the vaccines come online.

And I have not even mentioned the multiple variants and mutations of the virus which are beginning to spread. With names based on the place where they were first observed, virus mutations such as the South African or UK variants seem to be both more easily spread and more deadly than the original virus and add a new level of concern and an even greater desire to get ourselves vaccinated as soon as we can.

In spite of the concerns, I have still been able to do some activities that are outside and safe, especially since we keep a good distance from others. We continue to occasionally go down to the Truman waterfront to take walks with Jack and watch the sunset. It is a relaxing and enjoyable activity that we might have not done at all except for the pandemic, so that is nice.

I have also been attending outdoor sporting events hosted by Key West High School. This week I attended my first ever girls Lacrosse game. Key West had an excellent girls team and we happen to know a number of families who have kids on the team. Kids who Kathy taught when they were in preschool at the Key West Pre-School Co-op are now matriculating through the high school and it is fun to be able to watch kids we know and enjoy the games with our friends.

I also caught a Key West High School baseball game, sadly the usually solid team is having a down year and they have not had much success this season. It is still a great way to spend a beautiful evening watching baseball sitting in the stands that are distanced to keep fans from having close contact. I hope to catch more springs sports events, a safe, inexpensive and fun form of entertainment.