Iowa marks second anniversary of COVID-19

Tuesday marks the second anniversary since the novel coronavirus arrived in Iowa, bringing the state into the pandemic that caused repercussions still being felt to this day.

COVID-19 has touched the lives of tens of thousands of Iowans since its arrival in March 2020. According to the latest data from the state public health department, more than 9,000 Iowans have died as a result of COVID-19 and thousands more infected patients have been in critical condition in hospitals across the state.

Globally, the death toll of the novel coronavirus has surpassed 6 million, a grim milestone as the pandemic enters its third year.

Nearly 755,000 Iowans have tested positive for the virus in the past two years, according to available data from the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The first COVID-19 cases in Iowa were announced by Gov. Kim Reynolds on March 8, 2020 and were linked to an group of Iowans who had traveled to Egypt in late February 2020.

The Republican governor first invoked the coronavirus disaster proclamation roughly ten days later, after state public health officials confirmed instances of community spread of the virus.

Two years later, Iowa and the rest of the nation are facing a new phase of the pandemic. The nation’s top public health agency has relaxed masking guidelines, and Reynolds has ended the state’s disaster proclamation, folding coronavirus response into day-to-day activities.

But for Neil Bennett, who was among the travelers from Iowa first infected with the coronavirus two years ago, there’s no going back to normal.

“People always talk about word normal,” he said. “Our normal has been redefined.”

In March 2020, Bennett became the first patient admitted to an Iowa hospital with COVID-19.

He was admitted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics on March 10, 2020 and was placed on a ventilator soon after as his condition worsened. Bennett stayed on the ventilator for several weeks, and went on to spend five months in hospitals and other health care facilities across Eastern Iowa. He was finally able to return home in early August.

Bennett’s wife Jeanne Bennett, their daughter and son-in-law were also infected while on the trip.

Now aged 76, the Iowa City resident still is grappling with the lasting toll the virus has had on his health. Bennett said he had been diagnosed with spinal stenosis prior to his bout with COVID-19, which likely worsened as a result of the time he spent immobile in the hospital recovering from the virus.

Bennett still struggles with his balance and uses a walker to get around, but has recently made some improvements in his condition after spending 6 months at an inpatient rehabilitation facility in Chicago last year.

He’s able to drive a car again, meaning he can run errands, have breakfast with friends and otherwise do the activities he wasn’t able to do on his own for some time.

But Bennett said he and his wife are still “selective” when it comes to public outings. He said they’re both very concerned about the potential risk of being reinfected with the virus.

“I still shake my head in wonder for people who have elected not to be vaccinated and have resisted wearing masks,” he said. “The COVID incidences are improving, but we’re still far from past it. So I still feel a little puzzled at the mentality of people who resist vaccines and resist masks.”

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