Nassau County's Coronavirus Fight One Year In

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — March 5 marks the one-year anniversary of the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Nassau County. Since then, tens of thousands of people have been infected with the virus, and thousands have died.

In the first days of the pandemic, the spread of the virus was shockingly fast. There was one confirmed case on March 5, 2020. A week later, on March 12, there were 41 cases. A week after that, on March 19, there were 372.

Since that first case, Nassau County has recorded 150,548 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. But the majority of those came from the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, and not the start of the pandemic.

Nassau County has also lost thousands of residents to the disease. As of today, there have been 2,935 deaths of county residents attributed to the coronavirus.

New York state, which was hit hard in the first days of the pandemic, has recorded 1,657,777 total positive cases, as well as 38,796 deaths.

"On this one year anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Nassau County, we remember the 2,935 precious lives lost, and look forward to the future with renewed hope," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in a statement. "Nassau continues to lead the way among major New York counties in getting residents vaccinated, which is a very positive signal for our recovery. Over 20 percent (1/5) of residents have received at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

While the pandemic has stretched on for a year, testing everyone in myriad ways, March 2021 has something March 2020 didn't have: hope.

Doctors understand the virus better now than they did a year ago. Even as more and more people were infected with the virus starting in November, the mortality rate did not surge to the levels seen last March and April.

And, even more importantly, multiple vaccines are now available which will prevent people from contracting the virus. As more people are inoculated, life gets closer to returning to normal.

According to data from the state, 20.5 percent of the Nassau County population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. That's 278,215 people who have gotten the shot. And of those, 158,875 people have received both doses of the vaccine.

As the pandemic hit, businesses across Long Island and around the country were forced to close their doors. Multiple records for high unemployment were set in April, which was the worst month for jobs in more than three decades. That month, 16 percent of Long Islanders — more than 200,000 people — lost their jobs.

The economic recovery from the pandemic has been slow, and many people are still without work. While unemployment numbers are still high, they are no longer record-shattering. By December, the unemployment rate on Long Island had dropped to 5.5. percent.

Schools closed completely last March, and remained closed for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. In September, many schools reopened and figured out how to manage the pandemic. They created smaller class sizes, dividers between students and alternating schedules for classes. Students across Long Island have become accustomed to virtual classes and online learning over the past year.

"Although we’ve seen a major decline in cases and hospitalizations since our winter peak, we’re not out of the woods just yet," said Curran. "I urge residents to stay vigilant in this final stretch."