March 2020 to March 2021 - 1 Year living with COVID-19 in Colorado
We are in the midst of one of the most important and disastrous times in the world. When we started to hear about COVID-19 in early 2020, we thought it would be confined to China. We soon saw it spread throughout other countries, including the United States. In March, Colorado had its first registered case, and by mid-month, the federal and Colorado governments shut down businesses, including restaurants, offices, schools, and more. Top government officials gave conflicting predictions as to when it would be over with and how big the effect on our health and economy would be, and what precautions should be taken. While many looked to spring 2020 for it to end, and others to the end of summer, we eventually found it instead got far worse during the fall. All spring and summer it was mainly at 300 to 500 cases. In November, most days had 5,000+ cases a day. As of March 1, the figures were averaging 1,200 cases a day.
Hope rose in the winter with the emergency approval of three vaccines. On December 14 the first vaccine was administered. As of March 1, the United States is averaging two million vaccine doses administered per day. In January 2021, a new Administration in Washington, D.C. took assertive action to get people to wear masks and to distribute vaccinations. In March, we find the numbers of cases and deaths have dropped rapidly to the level seen early last fall, and now plateauing. The current goal is to have enough vaccines for everyone by the end of May, who want it, and herd immunity being reached.
INDEX of "1 year of COVID" Articles
The Lyons Recorder has collected statements from local Lyons government, service organizations, and citizens in an effort to preserve what happened in Colorado (and the country) during the first year of the pandemic for posterity.
Below is a list of articles that individuals have committed to writing – ALL LYONS WRITERS! about LYONS –
WHEN the article is published, it will appear as a LIVE LINK below.
- Monthly COVID Report (March) updated throughout the month
- Report on the Economy; Unemployment
- A year in the life of a teen
- A year in the life of a university student
- A year in the life of a mom of three
- ==REPORTS==
- Report on 1 year of Covid – Mayor
- Report on 1 year of Covid – Town Administrator
- Report from Lyons Community Foundation/grants
- Report from LEAF – emergency funding, food pantry, volunteers, and more
- Report from Elementary School
- Report from Middle/High School
- schools combined in one article
- ==BUSINESSES==
- Store owners quotes, surviving covid
- Report from Red Canyon/art store
- Report from St. Vrain Market
- Report from Pizza Bar 66/restaurant
- Report from artist (Magali)
- Report from music world (McIntyre)
- Report from church
- ==HELPFUL wellness articles==
- Mental Wellness “Cultivating Hope”
- Community church sermon/poem
- Hair loss from stress, Alopecia
- ==PERSONAL articles==
- Travelling by RV during covid
- Poem on 1918 pandemic
- (Poetic) essay on life during the pandemic (Soosloff)
- Memories – quotes/comments from residents
- Memories – quotes from self-employed & businesses
- American Legion, Estes Park, feeding the hungry for one year
March 25, concluding article and photographs.
== Between March 2020 and February 2021, there were 26 articles written about COVID-19 == go to this link. == Add the 28 articles being published during the month of March 2021. == These will be placed in the Lyons Redstone Museum history archives.
Colorado had its first case on March 5, 2020. It was a man in his 30s who came to visit Summit County Colorado. He had previously been to Italy where it is believed that he caught COVID-19. == Here is the official State of Colorado Report page from March 5th.
If you have an important story to tell that has not been captured here, please write us at LyonsRecorder.Editor@gmail.com ~~ We are open to more brief statements by locals in our “Memories” column as to what they remember the most about the year.
As Editor of the Lyons Recorder, I would like to share my deepest condolences and compassion with you if you or your family were infected by the virus,
…and also my empathy and support to those who have been isolated, or financially hurt by the impact on your social life and economic situation. sincerely,… Kathleen Spring
