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During a “typical” emergency event, we can see the threat (dark, tornado-producing skies; rising water in our creeks and rivers), prepare for the threat (warn people to take shelter or move to higher ground), see the destruction (a damaged building, a collapsed road) and then fix the damage the threat caused as we work our way toward returning to a “normal” life.
Event, damage, recovery.
This health pandemic emergency event, however, is a bit different, perhaps because we can’t really “see” the threat. We hear the daily press briefings at the national and state level, we hear local news stories about the struggles our healthcare system and first responders are facing, but unless we have been directly impacted by the virus (or personally know someone who has), it doesn’t seem as “real” as the events that leave infrastructural destruction behind.
Of course, our front-line responders see the threat: our nurses and doctors; our law, fire, and EMS personnel. They see daily the impacts the COVID-19 virus has on members of our community seeking care.
And that is perhaps what makes this COVID-19 virus so scary – if most of us can’t see it, how do we prepare against it?
BE CAUTIOUS
For more than a month, you’ve heard the mantra: wash your hands, don’t touch your face, cover your cough, limit your trips away from home, stay home if you are ill and perhaps the biggest one – stay a minimum of six feet apart from others.
Dr. Mark Wallace, the Executive Director of the Weld County Health Department, stresses that Weld County is still in the rapid acceleration phase of this virus. The reported positive case counts for Weld County and, unfortunately, our death count continue to rise. We now have what is referred to as community spread, meaning the source of the virus in many cases is now unknown.
In fact, this morning our health team was informed that the state finished a large data dump into the state disease recording system, which will push our local numbers even higher.
The reality is, some people will catch the virus, become ill and maybe even require hospitalization, and some people will carry the virus unknowingly and pass it to others. That is why the stay-at-home order and the physical distancing policies are crucial. If people do not follow these preventative measures, case numbers will rise and put more pressure on our healthcare systems.
BE KNOWLEDGABLE
There is a lot of information about COVID-19 coming out all day every day. It’s a lot to take in and sort through. And that in and of itself is part of the problem with this type of emergency event. Several residents have questioned Weld County’s case numbers versus the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s numbers versus what they are hearing on the news versus what they are seeing on social media. It can cause confusion and even distrust.
Early on, residents were being tested by their primary care physician or, if they were symptomatic, at a local health facility. Those test samples were then sent to a variety of labs with different turn-around times. Those positive COVID-19 test results are then reported to the state, where the information is put into a state-wide disease reporting database. Our local health department downloads the information daily for our county and begins their health investigations into the COVID-19 cases here in Weld County. With so many information sources, so many time frames, and so many reporting functions, not all the information is updated at the same time, but the information reported is accurate.
BE REALISTIC
Many people may be surprised to learn that neither the Weld County nor Larimer County Departments of Health had received any testing kits prior to last week. When the shipment of testing supplies arrived from the Federal Health and Human Services Department, the two counties worked together to provide testing for symptomatic healthcare workers and first responders in northern Colorado. More than 180 test samples were taken, and it was a huge step forward in supporting our local community response.
Why the delay in test kits? Why are some people posting on social media that their primary care physician is telling them to stay home and not come in to be tested? It’s a matter of supply and demand. If you think it’s hard to find toilet paper at the grocery store, try finding test kits, gloves, masks, and face shields for our front-line folks. There just aren’t many supplies available.
The Weld County Emergency Operations Center has been activated for three weeks and has focused every day on getting much needed supplies to our local healthcare and first-responder agencies. Shipments of surgical gloves, gowns, face shields and N95 masks have arrived from the Strategic National Stockpile. More N95 masks, gowns and gloves have been purchased from vendors across the country who have items in stock. And our incredible community has come together to donate what supplies they may have to help our healthcare workers and first responders do their jobs.
BE PATIENT
Messaging for this pandemic has been a bit confusing to say the least. Stay home, except when you need to go outside to shop or exercise. Stay six feet apart from others, but if you can’t, wear a mask. Masks don’t really help. Masks do help. The seemingly mixed messaging can make your head spin.
Remember, when this virus was first making its way around the globe, it was called novel coronavirus (novel, meaning new/recently discovered; coronavirus, a single-strand RNA virus that infects birds and mammals). In its most basic definition, the COVID-19 virus is new, and the world is learning as we go.
That means what you hear one day with regard to preventative measures may change over time. Originally, the CDC said homemade facemasks for the public weren’t an effective way to stop transmission of the disease, and the coveted N95 masks were needed for healthcare workers and first responders. Now, the CDC is changing its message a bit and the Governor of Colorado has urged people to wear homemade masks in public. So, do homemade masks slow or stop the transmission of the COVID-19 virus? If you are six feet or more away from another individual, masks don’t make a difference in transmission of the virus. Droplets expelled from people who cough or sneeze uncovered can travel up to six feet. That is why the physical distancing length is set at that number. A homemade facemask really keeps you from touching your face – that’s it. If you want to wear one, wear one. If you don’t, don’t, but keep the six feet of distance between you and others.
BE RESPONSIBLE
Everyone is frustrated by our current situation, there’s no doubt about it. We all want life to get back to normal; to be able to go where we want, when we want and with whom we want. That won’t happen, however, for another few weeks. In the meantime, we have to keep up the preventative measures we’ve been asked to participate in.
Yes, some of you are frustrated because you feel there are too many people out and about at the grocery stores. Yes, some of you are frustrated because you’ve seen families taking walks but not being six feet away from each other. Yes, some of you are frustrated because you see people on the golf courses. Yes, some of you feel like no one else is taking this seriously.
Here’s our recommendation: worry about you. You can’t control the actions of others; you can only control the actions of yourself. So, focus your energy on that. Make sure you are taking precautions to care for yourself and your family. By doing so, you will also be taking care of your neighbors and relatives. The more people see others complying, the more they will likely comply themselves.
BE HOPEFUL
We are in this for the long haul. And while that can feel daunting, please know there are thousands of people across this country, and hundreds right here in Weld County, working every day fighting the pandemic. And just like emergency rooms and hospitals that have staff working round the clock helping patients, the county health department, emergency operations center and county government overall have staff working to support our residents and local municipalities as we all navigate this emergency together…six feet apart.
By Jennifer Finch, Communications Director for Weld County
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