Where were you on March 11, 2020, when the first known case of COVID-19 in Park City was discovered? From that day forward, the community was transformed by a virus — and health care workers, in particular, had their lives upended.

Three days after the first case was found, Dr. Wing Province, medical director of Park City Hospital, recalls a local hotel called to report that one of its employees was COVID-19 positive. They wanted to send 100 people to the hospital for testing. And the pace for health care workers never slowed.

“It was an exciting time. Throw in an earthquake, and it was an interesting month,” Province said, referencing the March 18 tremor that shook Park City along with the Salt Lake Valley. “But we were lucky to have the support of Intermountain Healthcare and the support of our health care workers. They were phenomenal and so resilient. They wanted to get in there, help, and do everything they could for the community.”

A year and a half later, Province is proud of his medical team, and he also recognizes the combined efforts of local leadership, including Rich Bullough, who led the Summit County Health Department’s response to the pandemic before his retirement this August.

“I need to give credit to Rich Bullough and his staff,” said Province. “His leadership set the tone for the state, and he showed a lot of courage in the sense that he got pushback for the bold moves he made to keep the county safe.”

Bullough, for his part, said he is also proud of how the community has handled the pandemic.

“In March of 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, Summit County had among the highest incidence rates per capita in the entire nation,” said Bullough, who was the director of the Health Department. “The community rallied to protect one another.”

A major turning point in the county’s pandemic response was the approval of COVID-19 vaccines. Bullough recalled that Intermountain Healthcare immediately stood up a vaccine clinic in partnership with the mass vaccine clinic administered by the Summit County Health Department at the Utah Film Studios.

“Together, and with other partners, enough vaccines were administered that Summit County now has the highest vaccination rate in the state and among the highest in the nation,” Bullough said.

According to state data in late August, 80.5% of Summit County residents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 70.7% of residents were fully vaccinated.

“I should give a shout out to the volunteers in the community who stepped up to help us in our clinics,” said Province. “They would stand out in the rain and cold to help vaccinate their neighbors. … If you look at it, with the onset of a new virus, there’s a lot of people who are alive today, in part, because of those volunteers.”

But the work continued as fall approached as health care workers — already exhausted from a year and a half of treating COVID patients — look warily toward the next few months amid a statewide surge in cases spurred by the delta coronavirus variant.

“Many people think this crisis is over because businesses are opening and many areas are lifting masks mandates, but for health care workers, we are heading toward what may be the worst time,” said Province. “We have sicker people coming into our hospitals who need our help.”

Whether people want help is another story. Province said the politicization of the pandemic has health care workers caught in the middle.

“Not long ago, people looked to us with hope and gratitude,” Province said. “Now, we are seeing more patients, working with fewer resources, and we often treat patients who are as mean as you can imagine.

“Morale is low,” he added, “and workers are just exhausted.”

If there was a time to reach out to a valued health care worker — this is it.

“One of the messages we would love people to know is that this (pandemic) is not over. And those health care workers that this community depended on during the pandemic need our help and support now,” said Province. “Our community is filled with amazing people. Not only the health care workers and volunteers but also the people who put the care of others in front of their own needs by getting vaccinated.”