In March 2020, San Rafael resident Margrit Gonzalez lost her husband to COVID-19. Since then, another 199 Marin residents have died from the virus.
The county reached the grim milestone of 200 deaths during the holidays. Almost all of the victims were older than 65.
“I’m still very sad, sometimes I still cry over him,” said Gonzalez, whose husband Lucio was 73. “I miss him terribly.”
As of Friday, more than 64 million Americans had been infected by COVID-19 and more than 844,000 of them died. The World Health Organization estimates there have been more than 312 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide — and more than 5 million deaths.
Sixty-eight percent of those who died were residing in long-term care centers when they were infected. Unlike the Spanish flu, which was more lethal for young people, COVID-19 has proven to be a scourge for seniors.
More than 77% of Marin’s COVID-19 deaths involved people older than 75, while 93% were over 65 and 97% were over 50. Only 2.5% of the deaths involved Marin residents between the ages of 35 and 49. No Marin resident under the age of 35 has died of the virus.
“That’s a powerful sign of the particular vulnerability of our older residents,” said Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public health officer. “Age is the strongest risk factor for mortality.”
Black residents in Marin have accounted for 5.2% of the deaths due to COVID-19 while making up only 3% of the population. White residents comprise 72.5% of the coronavirus deaths in Marin and 71% of the population.
“If we look at it as a proportion of population,” Willis said, “the highest mortality rates are among our African American residents.”
Fifteen percent of Marin deaths occurred among Latino residents, while Latinos make up 16% of Marin’s population. The Latino population in Marin tends to be younger than both the White and African American population.
Willis said the most important message the statistics deliver is the importance of getting vaccinated.
From March 2020 to February 2021, before vaccines became available, 173 Marin residents died from COVID-19.
“We were seeing someone die every two days,” Willis said.
But since Marin residents began being vaccinated in May, there have been 14 deaths due to the virus, about one death every two weeks.
“Vaccinations have dramatically reduced death rates in Marin County,” he said.
Willis said because 75% of Marin residents over the age of 55 have been fully vaccinated and have received a booster, “in terms of mortality, the worst is behind us.”
That provides little consolation for the many Marin residents who have lost a loved one due to COVID-19. According to research done by Ashton Verdery, a Penn State sociologist, there are nine grieving people for every person who dies from the virus.
“That means that in Marin County we have 1,800 grief stricken people who really have been provided with no community outreach and no sense of community,” said Sandy Sverdloff, whose husband, Edward Charles Peterson of San Rafael, died of COVID-19 on March 27, 2020, at age 67. Peterson was at increased risk because he had Type 2 diabetes.
“There is no greater loss than the loss of your spouse,” Sverdloff said. “I really didn’t think I would survive it. It shattered my life.”
Sverdloff said she had to go to the South Bay to find a support group because she could find no help in Marin.
“This has been the loneliest time of my life,” she said.
Debra Demello, whose 93-year-old mother died on Sept. 8, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 at Novato Healthcare Center, said, “I was very close to my mom until the day she died. I’m like the rest of society trying to figure out how long this is going to go on.”
Demello said other than the loss of her mother, the toughest part of the pandemic has been the isolation from others.
“It’s changed the way we live,” Demello said. “It feels like this weird warp of time.”
Both women said they would eventually like to see some kind of COVID-19 memorial created.
However, Sverdloff said, “I think you can’t really do a memorial until it is over. The Vietnam memorial didn’t get built before the Vietnam war was over, and God only knows when it is going to be over.”
Demello suggested perhaps a monument should be dedicated to honor the doctors, nurses and other service providers who have worked tirelessly for over two years to prevent more people from dying.
She said, “I feel like there is so much more we need to do for those who have been serving, trying to keep people alive.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com