COVID Year: Fighting a Pandemic in Montgomery County Amid Soaring Deaths

In a year full of unexpected and unlikely developments, Montgomery County has taken a particularly uneven and difficult path.

It emerged from the first surge of virtually intact pandemics, with 119 known COVID infections among the population, killing only 4 people as of July 2, while infecting 395,872 people across the state. 24,885 people died.

As of February 25, the second pandemic surge infected residents of 3,137 counties and killed 105 by COVID. Both numbers represent an increase of over 2,600%.

Throughout the state, infections increased by 400% and deaths increased by 54% over the same time frame.

Montgomery County per capita currently boasts the highest death toll in any county in the state, except for New York City and its two neighboring suburbs, Westchester County and Nassau County.

“Our numbers have been small for so long that people in the community … I think we’ll be okay,” said Sara Boerenko, director of public health in Montgomery County. It was.

Then they relaxed, gathered without masks, caught the virus, and went to work the next day.

According to her, the death toll would not be so shocking if it were steadily increasing. However, COVID and its effects basically exploded in the county in a short period of time.

One factor, according to Borenko, is the presence of older people in Montgomery County. It does not completely explain the situation. All neighboring counties except Schenectady County have the same or higher percentage of residents aged 65 and over.

More likely factors: There are seven nursing homes within the county border, with a total of nearly 1,000 residents. Of course, COVID pulled a terrible price from nursing homes last year.

Boerenko recalls the gentle and orderly preparation of COVID-19 by her and her staff, as it does for other infectious diseases. Then, at 5:07 am on March 15, Public Health Director Jessica Marotta called her and said she had the first positive confirmation in the county.

“And the world has stopped,” Boerenko recalled.

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Initially, the potential limiting factors faced by her department (less staff, less budget, farther away small communities than large counties) favored them. People in a small town environment are more likely to know each other and be attentive to each other.

“So we all have the ability to openly communicate and communicate what this journey is like,” said Boerenko, who is in the community as much as in the office.

“This is my community. This is where I live. This is where I raise my family. I don’t spend a lot of time, energy and effort on data and research.”

In late 2020, the situation went out of control locally, as was the case in many states and countries.

Boerenko was forced to watch from the outside as her only remaining grandparents were infected with COVID at one of their local nursing homes.

She sometimes chokes when the conversation turns into a nursing home as she goes online with county administrator Matt Ossenfort for weekly Facebook Live updates.

“Here I am the director of public health and I couldn’t protect my grandmother, so it’s difficult,” Boerenko explained.

The story is a happy ending — Lucy Polity has fully recovered and is her energetic self again — but Boerenko hasn’t seen her in person for 54 weeks due to a nursing home lockout.

You can visit your grandmother and your son can sit in kindergarten and with his friends from elbow to elbow. She defines these things as normal in her life, but for everyone.

She said that when Montgomery County was vaccinated with enough vaccine to have a meaningful impact on the population, normality would begin to recover.

“I don’t think we can get rid of the anxiety about what’s going on, but I think it’s a little easier for people,” Boerenko said.

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