Posts Tagged ‘coronavirus’

Monday, March 7, 2022

Scarlet fever: Keene’s struggles to contain an outbreak harkens to today

keene scarlet feverScarlet fever is something we don’t have to think about any more.  However, more than 100 years ago, this childhood killer struck fear into the hearts of parents everywhere, including the little town of Keene.

On March 4, 1912, in the face of a frightening scarlet fever outbreak, the Keene Town Board of Health took emergency action.   The Board ordered “that the church, school houses, library, neighborhood house and Keene Valley Club House shall be closed until further notice.”

Today, in the midst of our Covid-19 turmoil, the disputes over vaccines, masks, and other government-scientific recommendations, it is hard to imagine a citizen board of health exercising that kind of power—to declare the church and the schools and the library closed.  Boom.   “Mo(tion) carried,” says the official one-page document, hand-written in pencil.

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Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Psychologist’s Question of Courage While Facing TB in ADKs Resonates amid COVID-19

Rollo May

 

By James Schlett

Eighty years ago, in 1942, a graduate student named Rollo May was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, the early twentieth century’s version of COVID-19. He later joined the thousands of people who retreated to the Adirondacks to help save them from the disease, which what was then known as “the captain of death.” At the time of his diagnosis, May was a former pastor who had recently enrolled in a psychology program at Columbia University Teachers College in New York. Tuberculosis had threatened to cut short this life that showed so much promise and later heralded the American existential psychology movement.

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Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Cornell University, other colleges contend with Omicron Variant Surge  

cornell covid testingIn the face of the new COVID-19 variant (Omicron) and a precipitous rise in the number of infections on college campuses across the country in the weeks following Thanksgiving, administrators found themselves confronted with having to, once again, put measures into place aimed at limiting COVID-19 transmission on their campuses and in their communities.

    Numerous schools around the country declared that students had to finish their semesters remotely. Many are extending mask mandates and requiring vaccine booster shots in order to return to campus. They’re limiting social gatherings and canceling sporting events as well, which greatly inhibits campus life. This comes at a time when almost every academic institution in America was starting (or at least hoping) to relax safety measures and begin returning to normalcy.

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Thursday, December 2, 2021

DEC offers prize drawing for those who get vaccinated this month

conservationistGrand Prizes Include Lifetime Fishing and Hunting Licenses and Deluxe Equipment

All Entrants Receive Subscription to DEC’s ‘Conservationist’ Magazine and a Tree Seedling

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the new ‘Take Your Shot for an Outdoor Adventure’ sweepstakes is now open. Launched last week by Governor Kathy Hochul, the COVID-19 vaccine incentive is intended to bolster vaccination rates among New Yorkers who enjoy the great outdoors. During the month of December, anyone that receives their first COVID-19 vaccine dose is eligible to enter the sweepstakes and a random drawing to win special prize packages tailored to anglers, hunters, and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Five entrants will be randomly selected to receive the Grand Prize and the opportunity to choose one of the following deluxe packages valued at approximately $2,000:

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Wednesday, October 27, 2021

ANCA’s Center for Pandemic Response (CPR) helps businesses thrive post-COVID

By Zach Hobbs, Center for Pandemic Response Outreach Coordinator, Adirondack North Country Association

CPR home officeIn graduate school, I studied the concept of risk and resilience as it relates to the development of children and young adults. Put succinctly, the healthy development of humans is slowed by risk factors and promoted by resilience factors. Understanding these factors allows us to address risks and encourage resilience, either generally or in very specific ways.

This rather academic concept was far from my mind 19 months ago when my boss, in another city and in a different capacity, called me across the office for an unscheduled meeting. A growing global concern over a mysterious virus meant we needed to press pause on big ideas and major projects and prepare to respond to a looming crisis.

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Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Siena poll: Majority of New York residents feel worst of pandemic is over

coronavirusSixty-eight percent of New Yorkers now think that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over while only 17 percent think the worst is still to come. As we move into summer in New York over 70 percent are at least somewhat comfortable having friends over to their home (84 percent), going to a beach or lakefront (80 percent), going on vacation in the U.S. (78 percent) and eating indoors at a restaurant (77 percent) according to a new statewide survey of residents released Tuesday by the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI). At the same time, 47 percent are somewhat or very worried about they or a family member becoming sick with the coronavirus.

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Thursday, June 10, 2021

Historic Saranac Lake launches new mobile museum project

cure porch on wheelsHistoric Saranac Lake (HSL) is launching a new project, titled: “Pandemic Past and Present.” This project will take place on their Cure Porch on Wheels, and is funded by the 2021 Corridor of Commerce Interpretive Theme Grant from the Champlain Valley National Hertiage Partnership.

HSL will be hosting programs from its mobile museum (the Cure Porch on Wheels) in order to explore local history in public health with new and larger audiences. Visitors to the mobile museum will be able to watch videos and take part in activities centered around Saranac Lake’s health resort history.

Mahala Nyberg, HSL’s new Public Programs Coordinator and leader of the project had the following to say: “As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, Saranac Lake’s sanatorium history is newly relevant. Our history as a community built on the treatment and research of a highly infectious disease helps to shed light on issues in public health today. The experience of the COVID-19 pandemic inspires us to explore untold stories in our local history and make new connections to broader themes.”

The mobile museum will be operating within 640 square miles of the Saranac Lake School District, and the Lake Champlain Basin Program grant will support the creation of short videos exploring the history of Saranac Lake’s TB history. This project is a natural outgrowth of a new exhibit soon to be unveiled at the Saranac Laboratory Museum titled, “Pandemic Perspectives.” Following its closure through the winter due to the pandemic, the museum reopened May 25, 2021.


Tuesday, May 25, 2021

ADKX to reopen May 28 to members; fully open July 1

adirondack experience

The Adirondack Experience (ADKX), a sprawling 121-acre campus in the heart of the Adirondacks, will open its 2021 summer season in two phases. From May 28 through June 27, ADKX members will be able to access both the onsite art and history museum and full range of outdoor activities on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

This early access benefit is available to existing members as well as individuals and families who sign up in the coming months. On July 1, ADKX will open to the public, with the campus available every day from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. As organizations continue to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, ADKX is operating under state-mandated capacity limits and will require visitors to wear masks, both in and outdoors. ADKX also encourages visitors to purchase advance timed tickets, especially for any groups of more than two. Ticket purchase will also be available onsite. Additional information regarding visitation is available on ADKX’s updated website at theadkx.org.

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Saturday, April 24, 2021

Gearing up for gardening

cilantro

Will the pandemic home gardening trend continue?

If you weren’t a gardener before, the COVID-19 pandemic may have inspired you to start a veggie garden. Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Fairfield, Maine, saw a 270% jump in orders the week the coronavirus pandemic was declared a national emergency. Many local nurseries sold out of vegetable transplants fast last spring, citing they couldn’t keep up with demand.

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

History Matters: Full Circle

Patients in Fur Coats

Sing on, sing on you gray-brown bird,
Sing from the swamps, the recesses, pour your chant from the bushes,
Limitless out of the dusk, out of the cedars and pines.

Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”

A whole year has gone by since we first heard the word “Covid.” We are coming full circle, and soon the hermit thrush will sing again.

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Sunday, March 21, 2021

Bored with being bored

bored dogFor some time now I’ve been seeking that perfect niche job where my talents can be used to their fullest. In the news not long ago, a great possibility emerged:  it turns out that Toronto’s York University has an actual Boredom Lab. I’d hoped they might want a research associate they could observe who’d kick back all day, drink coffee and play solitaire, but alas, they never returned my call. However, I discovered some pretty stimulating things about human boredom, as well as how it affects other animal species.

First off, boredom is not what most of us think it is. Dr. John Eastwood, who directs the aforementioned lab at Canada’s third-largest university, explained in a CBC “Quirks and Quarks” radio episode aired in January 2021 that boredom doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. Many of us are occupied with plenty of stuff, but if we’re not invested, it’s naught but a dull pantomime – we’re reduced to going through the motions.

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Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Attractions Reopening in the Adirondacks

openings and closingsAs we move closer to summer, many attractions that were closed last summer are looking ahead to reopening this year. Same goes with the many annual events that people have come to expect throughout the summer and fall months.

For example, The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. While they have been open, visitors have been limited to outdoor attractions such as the Wild Walk. The facility will close for maintenance in April and reopening in May. According to Hillarie Logan-Dechene, deputy director for The Wild Center, the museum will remain an outdoor experience throughout the summer, with the possibility of reopening the building to visitors in the fall.

“The summer is going to be chock-a-block full with outdoor activities, fishing experiences. We’ll have some surprises for people, but it will be another wonderful get-outside experience,” she said. For now, the Wild Center will continue to use its ticket reservation system for people to schedule their visits in advance, and masks will still be required.
Here’s a look at what’s in store for some other attractions and events around the region.

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Thursday, March 4, 2021

‘Letters of Love’ campaign asks community to send mail to seniors

letters of lovePeople across the North Country are experiencing higher levels of isolation and loneliness during the pandemic. This is a real challenge for all of us, but particularly for our family and friends who reside in nursing homes.
Therefore, North Country Center for Independence (NCCI) is partnering with Fesette Realty, organizations, and community members to share handmade letters and cards to nursing home residents across CLINTON, ESSEX and FRANKLIN counties.
They have set a goal to collect 1,500 letters by March 5.
Cards, drawings or letters can be delivered to one of the designated drop box locations:

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Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Trudeau to accelerate research on COVID and tick-borne illness

TrudeauTrudeau Institute’s efforts to combat COVID-19 and tick-borne illnesses have received a $150,000 boost from the Cloudsplitter Foundation.

The gift from Cloudsplitter, which supports organizations dedicated to improving the environment, economies and lives of people in the Adirondacks, will support a new lab established by Trudeau in 2020.

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Thursday, February 18, 2021

Jackrabbit Rally Announced 

Jackrabbit TrailA choose-your-own-ski-adventure

The Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA) invites ski enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels to participate in the first-ever Jackrabbit Rally to celebrate ski touring, the 35th anniversary of the popular Jackrabbit Trail and founding of the Adirondack Ski Touring Council, which now operates as BETA. Founded in 1986, the Jackrabbit Ski Trail traverses a variety of terrain through Keene, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths for a total of 42 miles. 

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