March 31, 2021 at 4:45 p.m.
A year of coronavirus
Today marks the anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Jay County
A year of coronavirus
It’s been a year.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Jay County recording its first confirmed case of COVID-19.
The year of the coronavirus pandemic was unprecedented. Schools were shut down for months, spring sports, prom, band and other activities canceled, and graduation held outdoors. Businesses were closed, then reopened with restrictions that have gotten more and less strict with the waves of the disease. Local events, including Jay County’s 4th of July celebration and parade, were canceled. Hundreds were infected. More than two dozen lives were lost.
In short, it was far from what we’ve come to accept as normal.
The beginning
While Jay County’s first case of COVID-19 was confirmed a year ago today, the county had already been feeling the impact of the pandemic for weeks.
On March 13, a Friday, Jay School Corporation acted on a recommendation from Jay County Health Department to halt in-person classes for a month. Students were sent home with their Chromebooks and other devices as a modified e-learning schedule was put in place.
“We, like everyone, can see how dynamic and fluid this spread of the coronavirus is,” said Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley at the time. “We spoke — we speak frequently — and it was determined that the school closure made sense given the environment.”
IU Health Jay announced extensive visiting restrictions March 15. Three days later, Jay County Commissioners took action to close Jay County Courthouse and other county government facilities to the public.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a stay-at-home order — Hoosiers were to avoid public contact with the exception of “essential activities” — that went into effect March 25. Most retail businesses were shut down except for delivery and carry-out service.
On March 29, country singer Joe Diffie, who had been scheduled to play at the Jay County Fair, died of COVID-19 at the age of 61.
By the time the health department confirmed the first Jay County case of COVID-19, The Commercial Review had already published 52 stories and opinion pieces on the topic.
“It was just a matter of time until we got a case here,” said health department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz said at the time.
The progression
The initial stay-at-home orders issued by the governors were set to last two weeks. They were extended.
On April 2, Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick announced that schools would not reopen for the remainder of the 2019-20 year. On that same day, the Jay County community hosted its largest single event showing support for healthcare workers as more than 225 vehicles gathered in the IU Health Jay parking lot for a vigil, with hospital employees watching from the roof of the facility.
From the day school closed, Jay School Corporation continued to provide food to children, first at daily school pick-up sites and gradually shifting to using bus routes to deliver in bulk (five breakfasts and five lunches at a time) to students in rural areas.
On April 14, Central Indiana Track Show Association (CITSA) announced its summer band competition season would be canceled. (There was a still hope for a state fair competition, but neither it, nor the fair itself, would be held.)
The primary elections, originally scheduled for May 5, were postponed until June 2 with Jay County cutting down to five polling places and voting by mail recommended. On May 1, Holcomb announced details of his Back on Track Indiana plan, with retail locations first able to open May 4 at half capacity and small social gatherings allowed. The gradual reopening had five stages, to run through Independence Day.
Jay County’s 4th of July Committee announced June 3 that all of its annual activities, including the parade, would be canceled. The Jay County Fair was held, but in a shortened format and with no grandstand events with the exception of a demolition derby, from July 15 through 18. The Tri-State Antique Gas Engine and Tractor show would be held in full five and a half weeks later.
On July 29, Jay School Board voted to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year to Sept. 9 from the originally scheduled Aug. 12 in order to allow staff more time to prepare for a year that featured more than 400 students being taught virtually. (Classes would actually begin Sept. 10, as the first scheduled day was canceled because of fog.)
With cases surging in the county, Jay Schools announced Nov. 24 that the junior-senior high school would shift to virtual learning for the week following Thanksgiving break. The corporation made the same move after the winter break, with another week of virtual learning.
“It’s been an exhausting year,” said Gulley. “But also a source of pride. Even though we’re tired, we’re proud of what our community, our parents, our employees, our teachers and our kids have been able to overcome.”
The numbers
Jay County proved relatively lucky during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was one of the last 11 counties in the state without a case of COVID-19. It recorded just 13 cases in April, and its May “spike” was 35 cases.
COVID-19 was all but silent in Jay County in June and July, with a combined 28 cases. But the numbers began to climb in August.
After taking four and a half months to reach 100 cases, the county recorded its next hundred in a month and a half and the next hundred in just 20 days. During the height of the pandemic from Oct. 28 through Dec. 14, it was racking up 100 cases an average of every five days.
“When you look at a graph of the first wave and then the fall, the first wave was barely a blip," said Jay County Hospital president Jon Vanator. “Part of me thinks we were almost lucky to have that trial run … and I think enough smart people in the summer, when things calmed down, said, ‘This is not done. Get ready. … Here it comes.’ … I’m glad the right people seemed to listen to the modeling and forecasting that showed the second surge would be coming and it would be big. Because that’s when it got hairy.”
Cases have dipped since then. After more than 400 cases in December, that number was cut almost in half in January. February saw 57 cases, and March is on a similar pace — still more than in the first months of the pandemic, but far fewer than the peak.
Jay County Health Department administered its first coronavirus vaccination Jan. 12. As of Tuesday, more than 7,500 doses of vaccine had been administered in Jay County — mostly at the health department and IU Health Jay — with 3,017 individuals fully vaccinated. (The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being used in Jay County both require two doses.)
In total, Jay County has recorded 1,828 cases of COVID-19 in the last year, an average of about 5 per day. November was by far the worst month, with an average of 22.8 cases per day.
Twenty-eight have died of the disease in Jay County.
“I think overall … the county did fairly well, especially when you compare it to some other locations,” said Butz. “Any death is too many, but if you go per capita, we weren’t hit as hard as some other locations were.”
What’s next?
Beginning Tuesday, state restrictions related to COVID-19 will be lifted. Indiana will shift to a “mask advisory” — they will be recommended but not required — and all venues will be allowed to return to full capacity. Counties, cities and towns will still be allowed to enact their own restrictions, though in Jay County none are currently planned.
For the hospital, the pandemic continued to shine a light on a direction healthcare had already been moving — a focus on wellness and preventing illness rather than waiting to fix what’s broken. The goal will now be to continue on that path, implementing tools like telemedicine in the process.
It’s also taught the importance of flexibility, both in terms of staff responsibilities and the health system as a whole.
“I think we learned a lot about being nimble,” said Vanator. “It hit pretty fast, and we had to make a lot of big decisions really fast. I think that’s one of the big take-aways just for IU Health in general. We’ve got to be agile. We’ve got to make decisions quickly.”
Looking over the next couple of years, Gulley is focused on making good use of federal stimulus dollars to help students who have experienced negative effects from the pandemic. That, he expects, will include expanded summer school programs and additional metal health resources.
He’s also hopeful that prom and graduation will be at least close to the traditional experience.
“What I hope to see is a much more normal spring than we experienced last spring,” said Gulley.
For the health department, the immediate focus is to continue vaccinating and educating. Butz noted that one of the concerns is that if not enough is done, new variants could pop up that could be either more deadly or spread more easily.
He noted that vaccination clinics may be around for a while if booster shots prove to be necessary.
He’s also hopeful that the current positive trends in local case numbers continue and we can all get a break soon.
“I think it’s been a long year for all of us,” said Butz. “I think we’re all a little tired.”
Today marks the one-year anniversary of Jay County recording its first confirmed case of COVID-19.
The year of the coronavirus pandemic was unprecedented. Schools were shut down for months, spring sports, prom, band and other activities canceled, and graduation held outdoors. Businesses were closed, then reopened with restrictions that have gotten more and less strict with the waves of the disease. Local events, including Jay County’s 4th of July celebration and parade, were canceled. Hundreds were infected. More than two dozen lives were lost.
In short, it was far from what we’ve come to accept as normal.
The beginning
While Jay County’s first case of COVID-19 was confirmed a year ago today, the county had already been feeling the impact of the pandemic for weeks.
On March 13, a Friday, Jay School Corporation acted on a recommendation from Jay County Health Department to halt in-person classes for a month. Students were sent home with their Chromebooks and other devices as a modified e-learning schedule was put in place.
“We, like everyone, can see how dynamic and fluid this spread of the coronavirus is,” said Jay Schools superintendent Jeremy Gulley at the time. “We spoke — we speak frequently — and it was determined that the school closure made sense given the environment.”
IU Health Jay announced extensive visiting restrictions March 15. Three days later, Jay County Commissioners took action to close Jay County Courthouse and other county government facilities to the public.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb issued a stay-at-home order — Hoosiers were to avoid public contact with the exception of “essential activities” — that went into effect March 25. Most retail businesses were shut down except for delivery and carry-out service.
On March 29, country singer Joe Diffie, who had been scheduled to play at the Jay County Fair, died of COVID-19 at the age of 61.
By the time the health department confirmed the first Jay County case of COVID-19, The Commercial Review had already published 52 stories and opinion pieces on the topic.
“It was just a matter of time until we got a case here,” said health department environmentalist and administrator Heath Butz said at the time.
The progression
The initial stay-at-home orders issued by the governors were set to last two weeks. They were extended.
On April 2, Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick announced that schools would not reopen for the remainder of the 2019-20 year. On that same day, the Jay County community hosted its largest single event showing support for healthcare workers as more than 225 vehicles gathered in the IU Health Jay parking lot for a vigil, with hospital employees watching from the roof of the facility.
From the day school closed, Jay School Corporation continued to provide food to children, first at daily school pick-up sites and gradually shifting to using bus routes to deliver in bulk (five breakfasts and five lunches at a time) to students in rural areas.
On April 14, Central Indiana Track Show Association (CITSA) announced its summer band competition season would be canceled. (There was a still hope for a state fair competition, but neither it, nor the fair itself, would be held.)
The primary elections, originally scheduled for May 5, were postponed until June 2 with Jay County cutting down to five polling places and voting by mail recommended. On May 1, Holcomb announced details of his Back on Track Indiana plan, with retail locations first able to open May 4 at half capacity and small social gatherings allowed. The gradual reopening had five stages, to run through Independence Day.
Jay County’s 4th of July Committee announced June 3 that all of its annual activities, including the parade, would be canceled. The Jay County Fair was held, but in a shortened format and with no grandstand events with the exception of a demolition derby, from July 15 through 18. The Tri-State Antique Gas Engine and Tractor show would be held in full five and a half weeks later.
On July 29, Jay School Board voted to delay the start of the 2020-21 school year to Sept. 9 from the originally scheduled Aug. 12 in order to allow staff more time to prepare for a year that featured more than 400 students being taught virtually. (Classes would actually begin Sept. 10, as the first scheduled day was canceled because of fog.)
With cases surging in the county, Jay Schools announced Nov. 24 that the junior-senior high school would shift to virtual learning for the week following Thanksgiving break. The corporation made the same move after the winter break, with another week of virtual learning.
“It’s been an exhausting year,” said Gulley. “But also a source of pride. Even though we’re tired, we’re proud of what our community, our parents, our employees, our teachers and our kids have been able to overcome.”
The numbers
Jay County proved relatively lucky during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was one of the last 11 counties in the state without a case of COVID-19. It recorded just 13 cases in April, and its May “spike” was 35 cases.
COVID-19 was all but silent in Jay County in June and July, with a combined 28 cases. But the numbers began to climb in August.
After taking four and a half months to reach 100 cases, the county recorded its next hundred in a month and a half and the next hundred in just 20 days. During the height of the pandemic from Oct. 28 through Dec. 14, it was racking up 100 cases an average of every five days.
“When you look at a graph of the first wave and then the fall, the first wave was barely a blip," said Jay County Hospital president Jon Vanator. “Part of me thinks we were almost lucky to have that trial run … and I think enough smart people in the summer, when things calmed down, said, ‘This is not done. Get ready. … Here it comes.’ … I’m glad the right people seemed to listen to the modeling and forecasting that showed the second surge would be coming and it would be big. Because that’s when it got hairy.”
Cases have dipped since then. After more than 400 cases in December, that number was cut almost in half in January. February saw 57 cases, and March is on a similar pace — still more than in the first months of the pandemic, but far fewer than the peak.
Jay County Health Department administered its first coronavirus vaccination Jan. 12. As of Tuesday, more than 7,500 doses of vaccine had been administered in Jay County — mostly at the health department and IU Health Jay — with 3,017 individuals fully vaccinated. (The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines being used in Jay County both require two doses.)
In total, Jay County has recorded 1,828 cases of COVID-19 in the last year, an average of about 5 per day. November was by far the worst month, with an average of 22.8 cases per day.
Twenty-eight have died of the disease in Jay County.
“I think overall … the county did fairly well, especially when you compare it to some other locations,” said Butz. “Any death is too many, but if you go per capita, we weren’t hit as hard as some other locations were.”
What’s next?
Beginning Tuesday, state restrictions related to COVID-19 will be lifted. Indiana will shift to a “mask advisory” — they will be recommended but not required — and all venues will be allowed to return to full capacity. Counties, cities and towns will still be allowed to enact their own restrictions, though in Jay County none are currently planned.
For the hospital, the pandemic continued to shine a light on a direction healthcare had already been moving — a focus on wellness and preventing illness rather than waiting to fix what’s broken. The goal will now be to continue on that path, implementing tools like telemedicine in the process.
It’s also taught the importance of flexibility, both in terms of staff responsibilities and the health system as a whole.
“I think we learned a lot about being nimble,” said Vanator. “It hit pretty fast, and we had to make a lot of big decisions really fast. I think that’s one of the big take-aways just for IU Health in general. We’ve got to be agile. We’ve got to make decisions quickly.”
Looking over the next couple of years, Gulley is focused on making good use of federal stimulus dollars to help students who have experienced negative effects from the pandemic. That, he expects, will include expanded summer school programs and additional metal health resources.
He’s also hopeful that prom and graduation will be at least close to the traditional experience.
“What I hope to see is a much more normal spring than we experienced last spring,” said Gulley.
For the health department, the immediate focus is to continue vaccinating and educating. Butz noted that one of the concerns is that if not enough is done, new variants could pop up that could be either more deadly or spread more easily.
He noted that vaccination clinics may be around for a while if booster shots prove to be necessary.
He’s also hopeful that the current positive trends in local case numbers continue and we can all get a break soon.
“I think it’s been a long year for all of us,” said Butz. “I think we’re all a little tired.”
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