by Carrie Moritz, Gazette
On March 13, 2020, the United States declared a state of emergency in regards to Sars-COV-2, which caused the disease known as COVID-19. At the same time, Governor Kristi Noem asked all schools to close for two weeks. Life as it was known was thrown into a different state.
Everyone was asked to follow CDC guidelines, which at that time were to social distance at least 6 feet, limit gatherings, and to wash their hands. As a novel (meaning, brand new) virus, very little was known about Sars-COV-2: how it was transmitted, how it affected the body, and the length of time it would impact the lives of US citizens and the world.
The United States had been watching as the virus advanced across the globe- first China, then Europe, then Washington state and New York state. Various measures were implemented as the death toll was rising, including strict lockdowns and the shuttering of businesses, schools, and travel. The goal at that time was to flatten the curve. Epidemiologists needed more time to study the virus, and citizens were asked to help give it to them.
"I do think we did flatten the curve," said South Dakota Secretary of Health Kim Malsom-Rysdon, in a media call two weeks ago on March 3. "We never did see the 5,000 hospitalizations, let alone the 10,000 hospitalizations that were being projected in the early days."
As of March 16, 6,809 South Dakotans total have been hospitalized at some point during their illness. Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 have ranged between 3-10% in South Dakota, and lost productivity due to illness, quarantine, and on-going health issues is even higher.
Malsom-Rysdon continued, "We did see our peak in November, and even the days when we were having 600-plus people in the hospitals on a given day it was very, very stressful and very impactful on our hospital systems. I am thankful we did not see levels that were higher than they were because it was a strain on our hospitals."
South Dakota schools, which were initially closed for two weeks, stretched out their closures, eventually ending the year in May without returning students to the classroom. Garretson School District students returned in August with several new measures in place to help reduce viral spread.
CDC guidelines continued to evolve as more was known about viral transmission of Sars-COV-2. Mask-wearing and limiting large group gatherings, along with continuing social distancing and hand-washing, became the mantra.
"The additive effect of all the prevention measures, the number of people taking precautions really does help to reduce cases," said state epidemiologist Joshua Clayton in response to Malsom-Rysdon.
Cases in South Dakota, after an initial bump due to an outbreak at Smithfield Foods in April and May, stayed low through the beginning of August. At that time, several factors came together to cause a severe rise in cases through October, November, and December before beginning to drop again as measures, such as mask requirements, were implemented and heavily encouraged.
Ways to combat the virus became political. Lockdowns, mask-wearing, and avoiding gatherings were challenged, notably not only by citizens, but by state governors and the United States President. Safety measures became a matter of Red versus Blue, expert versus politician.
The United States, which has 4% of the world's population, saw 20% of the world's cases by the end of December. By New Years Day, 20 million people in the United States had had a confirmed case, and 354,000 people had died. As of Monday, March 15, those numbers had risen to 29.5 million cases and over 535,000 deaths in the U.S. alone.
Of those deaths, 1,912 have been South Dakotans, and 337 of those have been from Minnehaha County. Garretson lost long-time community member Carol Braa to COVID-19, and nearly lost a few others, including 30-year-old Cody Linneweber.
Globally, over 120 million people have been infected and 2.6 million have died.
The U.S. breathed a sigh of relief in December, when the first vaccine geared towards immunizing people against COVID-19 was approved by the FDA. Despite a slow start, the rate of vaccination has gained steam, with South Dakota as one of the leaders of the pack. As of Tuesday, 34% of those aged 16 and older in South Dakota have received at least one dose. According to the Johns Hopkins University & Medicine dashboard, 134, 594 South Dakotans have been fully vaccinated.
The South Dakota Department of Health opened up vaccines to the final cohort of Phase 1D last week, which included teachers, college staff and students who reside in dormitories, and funeral workers. The Garretson School District held a vaccine clinic for its staff on Friday, March 12.
As vaccinations increased, deaths among those in long-term care facilities have decreased, with an 82% drop compared to December's peak, according to the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). This has allowed nursing homes to work towards slowly re-opening visitations for their residents, who have also had to contend with isolation and loneliness along with the devastating effects of COVID-19. In Garretson, Palisades Healthcare had a total of 29 confirmed cases and 8 deaths when COVID-19 swept through its facility in October and November. Ten staff members also fell ill during that time.
Despite the increased vaccinations, however, South Dakota has plateaued to around 150 new cases per day. This is a substantial increase from last summer's average of 50 cases per day, though a major drop since November's peak of over 1000 new cases per day.
Consistent mis-information and disinformation has surrounded the use of masks, causing many people to speak out against their use, despite evidence that implementation caused infections to drop significantly. Minnehaha County's infection rate started decreasing to current rates once the mask mandate was implemented.
Last week, Sioux Falls mayor Paul TenHaken broke a tie vote on whether to continue the mask mandate by voting "no," stating that continuing it was too divisive. His vote was in spite of representation from both Avera and Sanford speaking in favor of extending it until group 1E was vaccinated. TenHaken argued that group 1E vaccinations would be starting soon enough that continuing the mask resolution would not have necessarily made a difference. The Garretson City Council passed a mask resolution at their November 9 meeting, which remains in effect, and the Garretson School District has had a mandatory mask policy in place for all students and staff since the start of the school year, and the board has not discussed rescinding those policies.
The vaccine is still under study for ages 12-15 for Pfizer, and 12-17 for Moderna, with a goal for youth age 6 and up to be vaccinated by the time school starts again in September. Pfizer leads the pack on studying youth under age 16; Johnson & Johnson has not yet begun vaccine efficacy and dosage studies for youth under age 18.
Masking, social distancing, staying home while ill, and handwashing also decreased the number of flu cases this winter, dropping them from 9,555 total cases in 2018-19 to just 63 for the 2020-21 season. This alleviated initial fears that there would be a "double epidemic" of illness when healthcare systems were already stretched thin on resources.
While vaccines have helped relieve some of the burden, the pandemic is on-going. What was initially hoped to be a short-term problem has turned into a year-long effort to reduce the likelihood of spreading an illness to others that can't be seen, but that can have serious repercussions or result in untimely death for those who fall ill.
