COVID-19 General Colorado Thread (rated, cities, dining)

[daprara]

Originally Posted by roodd279

... population centers are headed for 500 or 600 deaths per million, or more, and until recently, Colorado was 20% low, and holding steady. Then school started...

they have schools in CA?

[Westerner92]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Many people will get sick.
Some people will die.

Controlling the rate of spread means the difference between strained hospitals and bodies in the streets. New York and Italy demonstrated that for us.

[pikabike]

You must mean “...COVID befuddled Coloradans.”

Title makes no sense as posted.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by pikabike

Title makes no sense as posted.

Daprara's native language is not English.

[Vision67]

Gov. Jared Polis: Vaccine on the way but don't let up your guard against COVID-19

https://gazette.com/colorado_politic...a09be03d8.html

"Gov. Jared Polis Monday cheered the news that Pfizer says its early tests show that their coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective, a "gold standard" that could mean the first doses are in Colorado before year's end.

The governor also announced he is extending the statewide mask mandate for another 30 days, and directing state employees, with some exceptions, to work remotely as much as possible at least through the end of November and into December.

Polis said Colorado's first batch could be about 200,000 doses, and could arrive before year's end. The rest of the vaccine could show up as early as January or as late as May, he said.

Dr. Albert Bourla, Pfizer Chairman and CEO, said in a Monday news release that "we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis." The company said 43,538 participated in the clinical trials and there were 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Colorado submitted a vaccine priority plan to the federal government in mid-October.

According to the plan, vaccines would first go to healthcare workers, hospitals and workers in nursing homes. The second group would be first responders, public health and correctional workers. That will be followed by patients in assisted living, nursing homes and long-term facilities.

In the second phase, people who live in group settings such as college dorms would receive vaccinations, along with essential workers with direct public contact, such as teachers, childcare and grocery store workers. High-risk individuals, including those 65 years and older or with pre-existing conditions will be next.

Finally, the vaccine will be made available to the general public.

The vaccine requires two doses to provide immunity from COVID-19, Polis said.

"The end is in sight...but we're tired" of COVID.," he said.

The governor said the virus is spreading rapid across the state with 1,060 hospitalized, the third day in a row at near or at that high number. One out of every 105 Coloradans is contagious, he said.

"We need to do better" with wearing masks, keeping distance and handwashing in the coming month, Polis said. "I hope the good news about a vaccine inspires us to double down on social distancing, rather than sustain these large number of fatalities and hospitalizations that would ensue from stepping back from what we know works."

He continued to plead with Coloradans to cancel social plans tied to Thanksgiving and to avoid congregating with those outside of your household for the next month.

"The single biggest risk is who you go out with," he said. If it's someone not from your household, he said, it's like "playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun."

To those who refuse to follow the mask mandate or other protocols for the virus, Polis said the "grim reaper" is the ultimate enforcer. When asked what other tools he might have for stricter enforcement, short of a shutdown order, Polis referred to increased testing, setup of alternate care sites, and canceling social plans.

The governor also spoke about what would happen in communities with strong anti-vaccination sentiment.

"I'm not concerned about people who don’t want to get the vaccine," Polis said. "Most Coloradans will want it, and the sooner the better, so we can get our lives back...People will be lining up — more people will want it than doses available.""

[Vision67]

Polis doesn't want to cancel Christmas

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/west...b1c12a8d9.html

"Gov. Jared Polis doesn’t want to cancel Christmas, he wants to save it.

That’s why the governor, like Mesa County Public Health Director Jeff Kuhr, is asking Coloradans to dramatically scale down their plans for Thanksgiving and the weeks leading up to it.

While Polis doesn’t plan any new statewide shutdown like last spring, or issuing new widespread mandates other than the mask order that he renewed Monday for another 30 days, he continues to warn of the vastly growing numbers in new infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 in recent weeks."

[BarryK123]

Not Colorado, but our nutty neighbors to the west:
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/11...lt-lake-county

What's wrong with people?

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by BarryK123

Not Colorado, but our nutty neighbors to the west:
https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/11...lt-lake-county

What's wrong with people?

You can't fix stupid.

[Vision67]

Local public health leaders urge Colorado to implement more aggressive COVID-19 measures

State officials, including Gov. Jared Polis, are reluctant to issue another lockdown order

https://www.denverpost.com/2020/11/1...lth-officials/

"Transmission of the novel coronavirus is so rampant in Colorado that local public health officials are asking the state to take more aggressive steps — including county-level stay-at-home orders — to control the spread.

State officials are reluctant to issue another statewide lockdown, preferring local governments to take the lead as Colorado continues to see a record number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

“Local public health agencies can enact guidance that is stricter than the (state’s color-coded) dial, and the do not need the state’s approval to do that,” the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a statement Tuesday. “They have always had the ability to go to a traditional stay-at-home model, and we are here to support them in that decision.”

Last week, eight local public health directors and the Colorado Association of Public Health Officials sent a letter — which was first reported by Colorado Public Radio — to the state health agency, asking it to follow the timeline laid out in the color-coded dial system that places each county into one of five levels.

“While we appreciate the latitude in additional timing that CDPHE has provided to counties whose metrics exceed their level on the dial, we are concerned that with the steep acceleration of cases and hospitalizations, these delays will reduce the value of the additional restrictions provided in the higher level, essentially rendering them ‘too little, too late,’” the health officials wrote in the Nov. 5 letter.

The letter is signed by public health directors from Jefferson, Broomfield, Denver, Boulder, Lincoln and Kiowa counties. The head of the Tri-County Health Department, which covers Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, also signed it.

In the dial frame work, a county is assigned a level based on new cases, the percentage of tests that are positive and how hospitalizations are trending.

In recent weeks, a flurry of counties, including Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Adams and Jefferson, have moved to level orange, the second-highest set of restrictions, which cap most businesses’ capacity at 25%.

In an effort to stave off the red level, which brings a stay-at-home order, some local governments, including Denver, have also imposed curfews.

But as counties have surpassed the threshold for level red, they have not yet been moved to the most severe restriction on the dial: a lockdown.

“None of us want to get into that red zone,” said Margaret Huffman, the director of Jefferson County Public Health.

As cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, steps need to be taken to protect residents and health care workers, she said.

“That does mean at times for the state to step in and suggest we do XYZ to reach that goal because the state has that authority,” Huffman said.

Colorado reported 3,384 new cases of the novel coronavirus Tuesday. Hospitalizations continued to reach record levels Tuesday, with 1,116 people in the hospital statewide with confirmed COVID-19, according to the Department of Public Health and Environment.

COVID-19 BASICS

Symptoms of COVID-19 — including fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, and nausea — can appear between two and 14 days after exposure, the CDC says.


Public health recommendations:

— Wear masks that cover your mouth and nose

— Stay at least 6 feet from others

— Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds



More guidelines: covid19.colorado.gov

While 84% of the state’s intensive-care unit beds are in use, another serious threat to hospital capacity is staffing.

“Our hospital workers are getting sick because they are going to the grocery store, they are going to school to pick up their kids,” said Julie Lonborg, senior vice president of communications and media relations at the Colorado Hospital Association. “In doing that, they are catching this in community spread.”

The association, along with hospital leadership, issued a call on Tuesday for Coloradans to “continue doing their part — and even a little more now — to control the spread of this dangerous virus. Wear your mask, wash your hands, watch your distance and wait till it’s safer to see other people.”

In response to the recent surge in hospitalizations and cases, Gov. Jared Polis has encouraged Coloradans to avoid gathering with people outside of their household.

“For Colorado to get through this pandemic and come out stronger and more resilient, we all need to do our part. That means local, state and federal governments along with people at home,” spokesman Conor Cahill said in a statement, adding, “However, if there comes a time where we could lose lives due to lack of medical capacity, the governor will not hesitate to statewide action.”

Local governments, including Denver’s, were quicker than Polis in issuing stay-at-home orders when the pandemic first reached Colorado in the spring.

State officials argue for a local approach to public health because they say the way the pandemic affects communities varies across the state.

Colorado’s COVID-19 hospitalizations top April peak as 1 in 100 people in Denver are contagious
Local public health officials said the county-by-county approach worked over the summer when cases and hospitalizations were lower and they could implement interventions strategically. For example, Boulder public health officials barred gatherings of college-aged people during the early fall after noticing a surge in cases among University of Colorado students.

But now, the transmission of the novel coronavirus is so widespread that it’s not possible to do such measures and be successful in controlling the disease, they said.

“The spread is so wide it is affecting, again, all age groups and folks are not cooperating with contact tracing,” said Theresa Anselmo, executive director of the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials. “So it’s really, really difficult to find out where the infection is coming from.

“While it’s affecting communities differently, it is quite frankly spreading everywhere at a rapid pace,” she added.

The counties also want at least a regional approach because it can be confusing for residents when public health orders differ by county as people travel to other parts of the state, Huffman said.

“It’s more effective when we can work together,” she said."

[Brill]

I think Polis is hesitant for another lock down for a few reasons. First, it won't be popular. People will disregard it and/or protest. The protests will just lead to mass gatherings that lead to more spread. In March, there were a lot more unknowns, more fear. That fear has subsided in a lot of people. Those people likely wouldn't comply with a lockdown order.

Second, non-covid impact to people. Unemployment. Businesses that would be destroyed. People suffering non-covid illnesses that are not getting treated. Mental health due to isolation. A lot of other problems will be created for little gain if people don't comply.

Third, I think Biden locks down the country once he is President. Since his lockdown will be a one size fits all approach, we could get hit with an extended lockdown. Let's say Colorado locksdown and we get this under control by Jan 1 and start thinking about reopening in mid-January. Meanwhile, other states are still not under control. Biden issues a country wide lockdown and now Colorado has to stay closed even though we have it under control. Double whammy.