The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
[ by Joni Reynolds ]
(Editor’s Note: Believe it or not, it was two years ago this week that the coronavirus hit Gunnison County like a bomb. We were one of the five most impacted counties in the entire country right away and the ensuing two years have been quite the ride. We asked the county’s public health director, Joni Reynolds, to reflect on this one-in-a-hundred years’ pandemic and get her perspective on one weird communal journey…—Mark Reaman)
Reflecting on the upcoming two-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging. In many ways it’s hard to believe that two years have gone by and yet in other ways it continues to feel like the beginning regarding COVID-19. We have collectively experienced and learned so much in the span that considering it across a timeline feels like the best way to identify the benchmarks across a novel experience.
My experience with COVID-19 has been filled with challenge, frustration, detours, gratitude, anxiety and never-ending work. The years were also filled with fear; fear of the unknown that was to come and who would be impacted. A poignant and sorrowful reminder remains the first county resident lost to COVID-19 illness. Each resident lost since has been just as heartbreaking. At the same time, so many heroes in the county came forward to advance our response; to provide emergency treatment, to transport patients, to provide testing in sub-zero temperatures, to research, to provide regular updates and to care about their neighbors and community.
Two years ago was the first case in Colorado and quite soon after, the first case in Gunnison County. Two years ago was a sudden stop to the ski season, the loss of Spring Break crowds and the onset of the dark, quiet of March 2020. In March 2020, the thought of fast-forwarding to the two-year mark along the COVID-19 path was only wishful thinking. I recall in those early days, someone telling me that this would all “change eventually.” At that time, it seemed unrealistic to think there would be a different future without the overwhelming COVID-19 crisis. If I had paused to consider what would it look like in two years, I would have expected COVID-19 to be history and not a current challenge.
In May 2020, public health restrictions in the county were adjusted to support businesses and the balancing of risk and community needs. The crowds of visitors came in the summer of 2020. The COVID-19 team continued to follow-up with any positive test and provide support and assistance.
In late December 2020, the initial vaccine doses arrived in Gunnison County and vaccination clinics were held at the Fred Field facility with the support of many staff and volunteers.
Just one year ago, in March 2021, there were large vaccination clinics ongoing with ever-changing State/Federal guidance on vaccination priorities. The vaccine administration has been complex with the different vaccines, different schedules, different age recommendations and protocols. Yet, the clinical teams at the community clinics, provider offices and pharmacies around the county have all worked diligently to meet the demands.
The surges in 2021 with the Delta variant and then the Omicron variant have been unimaginable. The work has been overwhelming for testing, treatment, case follow-up, outreach, support, education and healthcare impact. At times, the absences in work sites were creating precarious staffing in critical services. The resilience of the businesses, residents and workers was evident in so many ways. The ability to continue with children in school, despite the fragile staffing and increased demands, to delivering health care despite the many vacancies and increased health care challenges and the many businesses who have experienced staff shortages and complex pressures is a tribute to the spirit of Gunnison County! I have been awed and amazed by so many incredible individuals and dedicated leaders during the past two years.
March 2022 has now arrived, and the COVID-19 path continues to change. In the past month there has been a remarkable drop in cases and hospitalizations. It’s forecasted the drop will continue for weeks and months to come. The promise of a spring and summer 2022 without the cloud of COVID-19 is incredibly appealing!
Yet the evolving response continues. Vaccinations for the youngest children are still in clinical trials and the FDA authorization remains in the future. Protecting the youngest children still rests with each worried parent. At-risk individuals continue to refine their use of masks to best protect themselves when out in the community in various settings.
But many patterns have emerged. We have established the new routines of staying away from others when sick with any respiratory illness to avoid unnecessary spread, washing our hands and covering coughs and sneezes. Ventilation and filtration standards have become regular considerations in schools, businesses and crowded settings. Vaccination requirements are routine in travel arrangements, especially to locales like Hawaii or other overseas destinations. It’s likely the testing and vaccinations will continue into the future but with changes.
The response continues to develop. Now, home test kits are readily available at no cost throughout the community and will likely continue to be available in retail stores in the future. Providers have developed new protocols for seeing patients with respiratory illnesses including in-office testing. Community testing will likely end and the medical community will test to treat patients, when necessary.
To this day, I remain filled with a variety of emotions from COVID-19; sadness in thinking of the individuals lost and the many losses we collectively experienced; admiration of the many heroes in the county who have given of themselves in this response; love for my colleagues who have shared the collective work; appreciation for the many individuals and community leaders who have taken the best steps possible in their response; and finally hopeful for a future where we continue to work together addressing the challenges (whatever they are) to build a better, brighter, safer tomorrow.
—Joni Reynolds, Assistant County Manager for Health and
Human Services
