A look back: County officials reflect on the impact of COVID-19

Cameron County’s “A Look Back” series, a reflection of the impact of COVID-19 on the public health field, is available on YouTube.

The series, a collection of episodes that highlight the experiences of various Cameron County public health employees, is meant to give perspective to the community, according to Dorene Fourar, director of Community Engagement for Cameron County Public Health.

“The county’s offering this series as a behind-the-scenes view of what, you know, these different individuals went through working in the public health sector during such a critical time in the world,” Fourar said. “So, just, really, kind of giving that perspective to, to the community and, you know, just trying to also commemorate the second-year anniversary of COVID-19.”

“A Look Back” began in March and is anticipated to continue through June, she said. Episodes are released weekly on the Cameron County Public Health YouTube channel.

“We’ve already uploaded two of our videos,” Fourar said. “So, this is something that is ongoing and we are trying to continue to recruit people for their experiences or to recount their experiences on what, you know, the past two years have looked like for them working in public health.”

So far, the series has focused on the recount of Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. and Cameron County Health Authority James Castillo.

“I think it was really to give the public an idea, or at least some insight into how members of the county’s team look back and reflect on how we responded to [COVID-19] and the impact it’s had on us as well,” Castillo said in an interview with The Rider.

He spoke about how the pandemic deeply impacted everybody, including the officials responding to it.

“But that we have, you know, hope that we’re coming … through the end of the, at least, one phase of the pandemic, you know, entering the part about learning how to live with this illness that might just be part of our daily lives and trying to heal from the effects that these past couple of years have had,” Castillo said.

In the first episode of the series, uploaded April 4, Treviño spoke about the “new reality” COVID-19 presented and his responsibility as county judge to make the “best-informed decisions” possible.

“Having that meeting, that first meeting at the Public Health Department with all the superintendents, it was clearly a life-altering moment for all of us,” he said. “Our new normal includes living with COVID-19, but not living afraid with COVID-19.”

Fourar said she hopes that viewers recognize that Cameron County Public Health will continue to serve the county’s residents throughout the pandemic. 

“I hope that they’re able to just really, you know, embrace these experiences that … public health officials and workers are recounting and just, you know, just kind of see it from their perspective,” she said.

Meanwhile, UTRGV reported three new COVID-19 cases between April 8 and 14, according to a university official.

Doug Arney, vice president for Administrative Support Services and chair of the Infectious Disease Committee at UTRGV, said the three consisted of two students and a staff member.

UTRGV updates the number of cases reported for campus individuals weekly through the Confirmed Cases Dashboard. The university COVID-19 Response Team provides the numbers on its website.

Arney said no students were in on-campus isolation housing the week of April 8 through 14.

Hidalgo and Cameron counties continue to report COVID-19 cases.

Hidalgo County reported 237 cases between April 18 and 22, raising its total to 199,169, according to its website.

The county reported three deaths between April 18 and 22, raising its death toll to 3,898.

Cameron County reported 56 cases between April 14 and 21, raising its total to 73,557, according to its website. No cases were reported on April 15, as offices were closed in observance of Good Friday.

The county reported three deaths between April 14 and 21, raising its death toll to 2,230.