ONE YEAR LATER: On anniversary of first case in U.S., there’s hope in vaccines, new strategies

ELIZABETHTOWN — Today marks the one-year anniversary of the first coronavirus case in the United States.

What a year it’s been.

The harsher impact didn’t reach Bladen County for another seven weeks. But SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — traveled from a Wuhan, China fish market in December to the state of Washington and by March 3 was detected in North Carolina.

Bladen County’s first case was reported the night of April 2 by its Health Department.

Since that time, there’s arguably been more panic and alarm when there were far fewer cases and deaths. Coronavirus has become something all Americans are living with to some degree. It was a focal point of the November election cycle.

Its impact has been felt physically, and just as worrisome by those dealing with mental health stresses as a result of it. Businesses have closed, jobs have been lost, and many of both will not be coming back.

Governments have issued restrictions, and more are coming under President Joe Biden’s administration. Schools have tried to continue but face many hurdles. So has just about every other kind of people gathering.

It is America’s worst bout with disease since the 1918 flu pandemic that went around the world in four months, killing 675,000 in what was still a 48-state country here. At noon today, the coronavirus has killed 28 in Bladen County; 8,339 in North Carolina; more than 406,000 in the U.S.; and more than 97 million globally.

The U.S. has 4 percent of the world’s population, 20 percent of the COVID-19 deaths, and 25 percent of the known infections.

Here’s 10 more to know:

• What’s new? President Joe Biden took office on Wednesday and planned to sign 10 pandemic-related executive orders today. He’s promised a strategy to increase vaccinations and testing, reopen schools and businesses, and increase the use of face coverings and masks. The latter includes all travel at airports and on planes, ships, intercity buses, trains and public transportation.

Anyone on federal property also must wear a mask.

• What’s the same? Dr. Anthony Fauci is Biden’s top medical advisor on COVID-19. He was for former President Donald Trump but, like many, fell out of favor over time. The U.S. is returning to a supporting role with the World Health Organization.

• 100 in 100: In the new president’s expansion of inoculations and testing, he wants 100 million shots given in his first 100 days in office. His White House aide directing response, Jeff Zients, said its ambitious but achievable.

For context, in flu season the U.S. is able to vaccinate about 3 million people a day.

• Schools: In Bladen County, K-12 schools were closed starting March 16 of last year by Gov. Roy Cooper and never fully reopened. There was a scramble to teach, either by shuttling packets or by reaching students through the internet. Critics said there wasn’t much learning the last three months of the year.

Schools have opened with some in-person learning in 2020-21, but Bladen County Schools are currently in 100 percent remote mode. They’ll reassess next month.

• Jobs: North Carolina has nearly 300,000 less jobs than before COVID-19. Roughly 4,000 businesses have closed.

Last week, 900,000 Americans were seeking unemployment benefits. The government says 5.1 million are getting jobless benefits from their respective states. Nearly 16 million people were on unemployment in the week that ended Jan. 2, the latest period for which data is available.

• Retail: Sales numbers nationally have fallen for three straight months. Bladen businesses struggled last year, though some said the summer wasn’t as bad as they had expected. There were positive results in December, too, according to unofficial surveys of merchants.

• Relief: American have gotten significant relief twice from the federal government, and Biden wants Congress to pass another $1.9 trillion plan. In it are $1,400 checks for most people, which is on top of the $600 checks approved at the end of December. The combination equals what Trump wanted Congress to pass at Christmas.

The state has also stepped forward with preventions on turning off utilities or evicting tenants. Parents of children also got a stimulus check.

• Was it fish? The origin of the virus is linked to that China fish market, which is now shuttered, but it actually traces to the intermediate horseshoe bat. That’s a tiny, insect-eating mammal from a family of bats that are not bothered by the virus. They pass them on to other animals, including humans, and the virus mutates.

Studies show 40 percent of humans testing positive have no symptoms, and 2 percent get sick and die. Some deal with crippling long-term symptoms for months.

• Vaccines: In Bladen County, the state reported this week that 145 people have had both doses. The county Health Department and Bladen County Hospital have given out shots as quickly as they get supply.

• Future: There have been guesses that some sense of normalcy returns later this year. But there are also guesses that variants of the virus will cause more problems. Government leaders like Cooper and Biden believe the vaccinations will help stem the tide and bring the virus under control.