Deaths soar in area counties

After months of steady increases in the number of COVID-19 cases, Eddy County is on the decline with a total of 18 active cases as of Thursday. To date, four individuals have died in the county due to the virus.

Other nearby counties, however, are still struggling to contain outbreaks and have experienced many more fatalities. In Benson County, there are 29 people battling the illness, and 14 have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Ramsey County currently has 106 positive cases and has reported nine deaths.

In neighboring Foster County, active cases soared to 124 on Nov. 18, 2020, which included dozens of positive cases at Golden Acres Manor in Carrington. Despite the ongoing efforts of assisted living staff, fatalities were inevitable considering such a large outbreak. In less than two weeks, 12 deaths related to COVID-19 have been recorded in Foster County, with 16 deaths total since the pandemic began.

Statewide cumulative deaths approached 1,000 as of press time with a total count of 977.

There are 12 obituaries in this issue of the "Transcript," published on pages A5 and A7. This is a record for current publisher Amy Wobbema, and her predecessor Craig Voigt said he had never seen that many obituaries in one issue in the 30 years he served as publisher.

Please note that not all of these obituaries represent the life of someone who died of COVID-19 (or while infected with COVID-19). However, it's important to recognize that regardless of their age or condition, it's difficult to lose people we love, especially that many in such a short time.

Aside from the overwhelming grief of the situation, the sheer number of fatalities is causing disruptions to funeral preparations and traditions. It is a trend that has been unfolding since the early days of the pandemic. More than ever before, rural funeral home staff are working to calm and reassure grieving families.

It can be a challenge though. Wishes regarding the funeral ceremony are still subject to current CDC guidelines. As a result, a large portion of planning the funeral becomes about mitigating a virus rather than honoring someone's passing.

Factors such as the number of people and the duration of services are used in planning services in order to reduce the risk of transmission. During the warmer months, many families opted for outdoor services to mitigate risk while allowing more to gather.

As the cold months return to the northern prairie, outdoor services have become less and less of an option for folks in rural North Dakota. As a result, many families are opting for a different kind of approach to offering their loved ones a different kind of good-bye.

Private services tend to be the most popular option for many families, while others are opting to wait until the spring to hold services. Either option will serve the funerary purposes of laying the deceased to rest. However, it remains to be seen if the decline or delay in funerary observances will have an effect on the living, grieving survivors.

The Transcript reached out to the folks at Evans Funeral Home to further discuss the impact COVID-19 is having on funeral services. However, due to time constraints and current demands at the funeral home, we were unable to have that conversation. Updates will be shared in the "Transcript."