Five years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the nation and the world to a screeching halt. Things began to feel weird at the end of January, and by February, we knew something was up, but no one really understood what this was.
There were news reports of some strange virus in China and then in Italy. There were some reports of it in the U.S.
Some people began to wear masks in public. Others canceled social plans. Grocery stores became ghost towns. What on earth was going on? Wasn’t this all just an overreaction?
Things got real, however, on March 11 when the World Health Organization declared that this was not just a flu bug. We were experiencing a deadly global pandemic. Major events were canceled around the country, including the NCAA tournaments, and the South by Southwest festival. Disneyland closed. Schools closed.
Then the Chicago and New York St. Patrick’s Day Parades were canceled.
I’m an Irish girl – Patti Coleen Sullivan – who grew up in Chicago. I take St. Patrick’s Day seriously. I have fond memories from my childhood of standing in the cold March wind by the green-dyed river with my dad and watching Mayor Richard J. Daley lead the St. Paddy’s Day parade down State Street. We treated St. Patrick’s Day like a holy day.
But in 2020, the bars shuttered, and people were told to stay home. There would be no green beer and raucous parties. St. Patrick’s Day was canceled. Surely, this would be over in a matter of days or weeks, right?
By March 31, there were 192,078 reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, and 5,359 deaths. A month later, there were 1,081,146 reported cases and 66,638 deaths.
Everyone was gripped with fear.
Locally, Estes Park, a town whose economic engine is dependent on tourism, closed hotels and vacation rental properties for more than a month in an effort to curtail the virus’ spread.
The National Park closed the gates of Rocky Mountain National Park. While things began to open with restrictions by Memorial Day, businesses took a financial hit.
By the time the pandemic was declared over on March 10, 2023, there were 103,802,702 reported cases in the U.S. and 1,123,836 deaths. Globally, there have been 676,609,955 cases and 6,881,955 deaths.
All manner of theories about the virus’s origin were proffered, some crazier than others. It was a fluke. It was created as a biological weapon in a Chinese virology institute. Bill Gates was behind it. Genetically modified crops were the culprit. The 5G mobile network caused the outbreak.
To date, the origin remains a mystery. It could have been a leak from a research lab. It could have been animal-to-human transmission. The scientific community seems to agree that the epicenter is connected to a wholesale seafood market in Wuhan, China. Beyond that, we may never definitively know.
We quickly learned that being sick was dangerous. We also learned that taking care of sick people was dangerous. The use of personal protection equipment – gowns, facemasks, gloves, eye protection – became standard for healthcare workers, but there were supply shortages. Visitors to hospitals and nursing homes were limited and, in many cases, barred entirely.
A nationwide shortage of hand sanitizer led to distilleries manufacturing alcohol-based gels that could substitute for unavailable national brands. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hand sanitizer has not been shown to be more effective than handwashing with basic soap and water.
Then there were theories about cures and prevention. The first piece of advice was to practice social distancing and to wear a mask.
By December 14, 2020, a COVID vaccine was available in the U.S., but not without controversy. Was it safe? What were the risks? Had it been rushed to market? Who was profiting? And in short order, boosters were required, causing more questions about efficacy and long-term safety.
But as 2021 rolled along, the majority of people rolled up their sleeves to receive their shots. There were holdouts who refused, and arguments ensued over rights and responsibilities in the workplace and over the family dinner table.
Over-the-counter COVID tests also became available in early 2022, which gave individuals some agency in managing their own healthcare but made it difficult for the government to track the virus.
Among adults, social distancing took a toll on mental health, with increased reports of depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders.
Employers had to adapt to employees working remotely, and many businesses began to question their need for high-cost office space, especially in urban centers.
It was a rough time to be a commercial real estate broker. Skyscrapers and office complexes became empty shells as Zoom-towns blossomed in dens and spare bedrooms across the country.
Rather than risk being exposed to the virus, people turned to shopping online, which helped e-commerce companies but hurt many small retailers. In the early days of the pandemic, retailers faced shortages of products like toilet paper, and they frequently took to posting signs that limited the purchase to one package per customer.
It will be interesting to see the longitudinal studies done by sociology and education researchers about the impact on young children whose early experiences of their social world were one of fear that they could get sick by just hugging grandma or playing with their best friend.
Normally, children are curious and interactive. They seek out other kids with whom they can giggle, touch, and play rambunctiously. Research may find that COVID kids carry levels of social fear into their teens and adult years than do people who went through childhood without masks and the other restrictions of social distancing.
As for COVID cures, there are none. There are some antiviral treatments that, if taken within the first week of the onset of symptoms, may help reduce the severity of the illness, but there are no medications that cure the virus.
And some immunocompromised people may be candidates for a monoclonal antibody that may provide another layer of protection.
However, primary healthcare providers need to assess an individual’s overall health, including their age and other factors, to determine the best course of treatment.
Desperate for a cure, many people latched onto pseudoscience claims about ivermectin, or hydroxychloroquine, proffered by celebrities with no medical or research background. The ensuing debate became a flashpoint for division between friends, family, and communities.
It has been a long five years. We are no longer in the grips of a pandemic, but we are not out of the woods. People are still being diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID. It is still a serious virus. But we have built up immunities, and the vaccines have helped to reduce both the number of diagnoses and the severity of the illness among those who get sick.
What have we learned? We learned that we are both vulnerable and resilient. We are far more aware that a pandemic can sweep the globe and bring societies to a screeching halt in a matter of weeks, and the consequences are felt economically, socially, and personally.
Are we more prepared for the next global health crisis? Hopefully.
We know the importance of international cooperation, collaboration, and communication. Scientific research and the use of AI can help us stay as up-to-date and ahead of the curve as much as possible. We cannot, however, allow ourselves to become personally or politically complacent when it comes to prevention and public health.
While it is wise to isolate when you have a virus, isolationism is not the right strategy to address world health concerns.
The arts and sciences are two universal languages that can help us to stay connected to our shared humanity over international borders and across cultures. Sharing through those avenues can help us to solve problems we could not do alone. Indeed, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
I will always associate March 17 with my dad and fondly reminisce about attending the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade with him in Chicago, waving his shillelagh, and boasting of my Irish American roots. I will also associate the date with how the nation and the world came to a standstill and how the silence was deafening.
It seems appropriate to close with the Irish toast Sláinte. May you be blessed with good health.