For a while, I wondered why it was called the ânovelâ coronavirus. There wasnât much novelistic about it: no plot, no hero, no ending. But COVID-19 was indeed novel in the sense that weâd never seen anything like it. We had no context, no playbook, no clue.
One year ago Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Also one year ago, the Berkshires registered its first community transmission COVID-19 case, Rick Bua, a retiree in Clarksburg. Since then, more than 540,000 Americans have died, including over 260 in the Berkshires. Rick, bless him, is still with us.
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Rick Buaâs diagnosis a year ago was momentous for local public health officials, a sign that the virus was spreading and their lives were about to be turned upside down. His vaccination Thursday marks another turning point: For the first time, public health experts can see a path back to normal life.
âOn the West Coast, they do have community level transmission,â Dr. Monica Bharel, the stateâs public health commissioner, said March 4. âAt this point, we donât have evidence of that here in Massachusetts.â
Three days later, Buaâs test came back positive. Among the 13 cases identified in Massachusetts, he was the only one without a link to a known outbreak. âI was nowhere near the first patient that had the virus,â he said. âThe virus was here last winter. But I was the first person [in Massachusetts] who tested positive for community spread.â