Both Archuleta County and La Plata County have seen steep drops in the numbers of confirmed COVID cases since mid-January, after seeing spikes much greater than at any previous time since the virus’ arrival in Southwest Colorado.
Here’s the graphic data display maintained by San Juan Basin Public Health, for Archuleta County, showing confirmed cases from September 1, 2020 through February 17, 2022.
As we see, the peak of confirmed infections on a single day took place on January 12, 2022, when SJBPH reported 54 cases in Archuleta County, almost twice a previous peak day of 30 cases during early November, 2020. Another peak day was seen a year later, on November 30, 2021, with 32 cases.
Since February 10, the seven-day average for Archuleta County has been around 3 cases per day.
A similar roller coaster pattern has been seen in neighboring La Plata County — which is also served by San Juan Basin Public Health. The recent peak there also took place on January 12, with 333 cases reported that day. (Coincidence? Or evidence of a shared economy?)
The skyrocketing cases in early January have been typically explained, by acquaintances and by SJBPH, as resulting from the arrival of the Omicron Variant, first reported in our neck of the woods on December 17, 2021.
I’ve not heard anyone attempt to explain the equally dramatic drop in case numbers since mid-January.
We don’t often quote former President Donald Trump in the Daily Post. But as I recall, he predicted — very soon after a ‘pandemic’ was declared — the disappearance of the COVID-19, all by itself.
Back when he was still President.
For example. On February 10, 2020.
You know, a lot of people think that goes away in April with the heat — as the heat comes in. Typically, that will go away in April.
On February 27, 2020.
It’s going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear. And from our shores, we — you know, it could get worse before it gets better. It could maybe go away. We’ll see what happens. Nobody really knows.
On March 30, 2020.
Stay calm. It will go away. You know it — you know it is going away, and it will go away. And we’re going to have a great victory.
On May 8, 2020.
You may have some flare-ups next year, but eventually, it’s going to be gone. I mean, it’s going to be gone.
On July 19, 2020.
I’ll be right eventually. I will be right eventually. You know I said, ‘It’s going to disappear.’ I’ll say it again. It’s going to disappear, and I’ll be right.
On October 15, 2020.
The vaccine will end the pandemic. But it’s ending anyway. I mean, they go crazy when I say it. It’s going to peter out and it’s going to end.
The virus continued to fool President Trump with its persistence, as it also fooled the people who believed a concerted effort to vaccinate the entire world with various experimental ‘messenger RNA’ injections would bring the virus to its knees. Despite the fact that more than 50% of Archuleta County residents signed up to be vaccinated, COVID found a way to cause up to 54 new cases per day in the middle of January, 2022 — almost double the highest daily count during the worst spike in 2020.
Then, it began to look like it was going to simply disappear.
From what I can tell (based on limited facts) the human race has successfully vanquished — completely — only one particular infectious disease, through the use of global vaccinations:
Smallpox.
All of the other infectious illnesses I’ve heard of, continue to spread, here or there, in spite of vaccinations or other medical interventions. Some diseases appear to be ‘under control’, but never completely stamped out.
My assumption — and the assumption of many others, I suppose — is that COVID will always be with us. Another endemic infectious disease.
I mean, they may go crazy when I say it. It’s going to peter out… but it’s never going to end.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.