Jefferson County Schools just launched their COVID-19 Case Dashboard. Nice transparency @JeffcoSchoolsCo. You can see the data at http://ow.ly/tF2z50BADmj.
JEFFCOPUBLICSCHOOLS.ORG
COVID-19 Dashboard
Diagnostically, the situation will also become more complex as we are starting to see other seasonal respiratory viruses. Rhinovirus is gaining a foothold in Colorado, and the first few Influenza A cases for the 2020-2021 season have been reported on both coasts.
School openings (particularly CU) are driving most of the cases in Boulder, but are only responsible for about 1 in 5 new cases statewide. Cases seem to be increasing significantly across all age groups.
Colorado is experiencing significant increases in COVID cases. The slope of the curve is similar to what we saw at the beginning of the pandemic and could approach similar levels as early as next week. We are also starting to see increases in positivity rate and hospitalizations.
Pfizer is reporting a "robust" immune response for their COVID-19 vaccine candidate, along with a fairly high rate of mild to moderate short-term side effects.
CU Boulder has implemented a 14-day quarantine for all students due to a spike in COVID cases.
Along with a large portion of the country, Colorado will likely exceed ICU capacity within the next 2 weeks. If this occurs, we are in for a very dark winter.
Actions matter. Consider the risk before getting together with friends. Today, you will face an estimated 76% risk of contracting COVID by gathering with 25 people in Jefferson County (85% in Denver County). You can analyze your own risk here: http://ow.ly/e47Y50CkhDA
COVID19RISK.BIOSCI.GATECH.EDU
COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool
COVID is growing exponentially with nearly 7000 cases in CO in the last 24 hours. In many cases, healthcare providers are less likely to contract COVID even with significant exposure. One reason, we assume that any contact could be infected. Wear a mask, an N95 is even better.
Altitude Family & Internal Medicine updated their info in the about section.
Novavax is currently enrolling for their Phase 3 trial in the US. This is a nanoparticle spike protein vaccine. Early efficacy and safety data for this vaccine looks encouraging. http://ow.ly/h9b950CWZ5t #COVID19
AstraZenica Oxford COVID-19 vaccine approved in the UK. This is a DNA vaccine delivered through an Adenovirus vector.
The manufacturer is reporting 95% efficacy however both efficacy and safety for this vaccine appear more complicated to analyze than in the current mRNA options.
COVID Mutation b.1.1.7 identified in Colorado. We believe that: 1) The mutation is 50-70% more contagious. 2) The variant is more infectious in children. 3) The variant does not cause more severe illness. 4) Current vaccines are probably still effective. More to come... #COVID19
Colorado is within days of exceeding ICU capacity, which would result in a significant jump in mortality. Personal social gatherings are a significant driver of the recent COVID-19 spread. We could really use everyone's help to slow this thing down now.