December 2020

DR. FAUCI ADDRESSES COLORADO

Governor Polis provided an update today on the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was joined by America's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director.

Colorado is not alone in seeing a spike in cases. Dr. Fauci discussed how the country is dealing with a nationwide public health crisis unlike what we saw in March and that the virus had spread to different regions, and noted that as temperatures drop and we approach the holiday season he anticipates that the country could see a surge upon a surge. He pointed out that the country is looking at thirty or more days of precarious risk and encouraged people to avoid crowds indoors, wear a mask, wash hands, and social distance.

“Instead of thinking in terms of the Thanksgiving holiday and then the Christmas holiday as two separate events, I think we are going to be looking at 30 or more days of a period of time of precarious risk,” said Dr. Fauci.

Dr. Fauci also discussed the news of vaccines and thanked Colorado’s frontline health care workers for their efforts. Dr. Fauci urged Coloradans to be a part of the solution to the pandemic and discussed the importance of mitigating the virus.

When discussing the news of vaccines, Dr. Fauci added “This is a testimony to the exquisite and extraordinary scientific advances that have taken place over many years...it’s quiet meticulous science that allows you to get a vaccine that is 94-95% effective from the time the virus was recognized in January 2020 to putting it in a person’s arm in December 2020.”

“We’re all in this together, help is on the way and we are going to get out of this,” Dr. Fauci concluded.

The Governor was thrilled that Dr. Anthony Fauci personally shared his advice today that Coloradans save lives by wearing masks around others and reducing any social interactions, and thanked Dr. Fauci for his service to our country during an incredibly challenging time.

DIRECT STIMULUS PAYMENTS

Today, Governor Polis announced that one-time stimulus payments of $375 would be going out this week. This direct cash payment will go towards most of the 435,000 Coloradans who have been hardest hit and experienced unemployment during this pandemic. Coloradans who were qualified to receive weekly unemployment insurance benefits under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and other programs, are eligible.

Eligible claimants will receive an email or call from the Department of Labor and Employment, and are encouraged to log in to their benefits accounts to ensure that their address is up-to-date and their selected payment method is correct.

As many small businesses cannot afford to wait for a new Presidential administration to come in and get the job done, the Governor will continue strongly urging Congress to pass a more comprehensive stimulus package to help keep people afloat and provide relief.

POST-HOLIDAY SAFETY

Governor Polis shared today that there are 4,405 new positive cases and 1,847 Coloradans currently hospitalized, and noted that the state would begin to see the impacts of the Thanksgiving holiday in the coming days.

This means a surge of cases on top of the already high numbers in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Additionally, with 1 out of every 41 Coloradans infected with the virus, and 40% of those cases being asymptomatic, it cannot be assumed that you have not been exposed if you celebrated the holiday with people who live outside of your home.

Here are some precautions Coloradans can take now to mitigate the impacts:

If you celebrated with anyone outside your house or traveled, please make sure to quarantine for 14 days after exposure to those outside your home.
If you believe you were exposed to COVID-19, get tested 7 days after exposure.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, get tested and isolate for at least 10 days until you are fever free and symptoms are improving.
If you were exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, a negative test should not release you from quarantine because symptoms might not appear for up to 14 days after exposure.
Anyone who tests positive should immediately contact those they came into close contact with over Thanksgiving.

Find a testing site near you at covid19.colorado.gov/testing.

CALL TO ACTION

Given the rising cases and increased stress on our hospitals, we need to have a sense of urgency around changing these concerning trends. This past weekend, Governor Polis and First Gentleman Marlon Reis tested positive for coronavirus. This serves as a reminder that no one is immune.

Just last week, modeling from CDPHE showed deaths nearly doubling, if nothing changes. These next few weeks will be critical to preventing these catastrophic projections.

It’s up to us, Colorado. We all know what we need to do to slow the spread of this virus, including:

Continuing to wear masks while in public;
Avoiding in-person social interactions; and
Staying at least six feet away from others when in public.

Every day we choose to wear a mask, not make that extra trip to the grocery store, and not stop by our friend’s house after work, is a day we are taking personal responsibility for slowing the spread. Each of us can do more, and these next few weeks are essential to preventing further loss of life and overwhelming our hospital system.

Your choices could help save a life. That life could be someone you love, or even your own.

The holidays are a difficult time to be away from our families, but we know that this will not magically turn around by Christmas. If we don’t change, then the trends we’re seeing won’t either.

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