2020: a year to forget

2020 has been a year that most of us would like to forget.  First and foremost the Coronavirus reached into all facets of all of our lives.

On the Eastern Shore we had the following numbers:

In both counties as of December 30, there was a total of 2,162 test positives or 5% of the population.  Accomack had 1,698 or 5.4% of the total population and Northampton reported 464 test positives representing 3.9% of the overall population.

There were 27 deaths in Accomack which represents 1.5% of the total test positives.  Northampton reported 31 deaths or 6% of the positive test count.

In Accomack 7.2% of those who tested positive were hospitalized. In Northampton 11.9% of those who tested positive ended up in the hospital.

In both counties, 3.6% of those who tested positive were hospitalized or 178 total hospitalizations.

Also in both counties 2% of those who tested positive died.

Despite these numbers, there is a glimmer of good news in the recent numbers. Despite a recent surge in test positives for both counties, the recent numbers are still lower than the initial surge in April and May. There were 971 test positives in Accomack from April 1 to June 7, and there have been only 463 from November 1 through December 31.

Northampton tells a similar story. There were 255 COVID-19 test positives in the initial surge, from the beginning until June 7, yet there have only been 120 additional in the past two months.

Even more encouraging are the improvements in the hospitalizations and the deaths in the two counties from the first and second surges. 74 of Accomack’s 124 total hospitalizations occurred in the first surge, while only 27 occurred in the current surge. In Northampton, 31 of the 55 occurred in the initial surge while only seven have occurred in the second surge.

14 of Accomack’s 27 deaths occurred in April, May and June, while only eight have occurred in November and December. 27 of Northampton’s 31 death’s occurred in the initial surge and none have occurred since September 18.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.   Operation Warp Speed initiated by President Trump in May of 2020 resulted in two  vaccines  the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines which through 75,000 test vaccinations produced a 95% success rate.

It usually takes several years to develop a vaccine but the administration removed the obstacles which allowed the  companies to produce vaccines in 25% of the time it usually requires.

The vaccines have already arrived on the Eastern Shore and currently are being administered to clinical staffs and first responders.  The next step is nursing home residents and those over 75.  Then people with preexisting conditions and later on the general public will receive the vaccines.

The vaccines will be free to the public and available at Riverside, Eastern Shore Rural Health and several chain pharmacies in the area.