One person in Colorado’s State Emergency Operations Center has tested positive for COVID-19. The information was revealed April 4 in a press release by Public Information Officer Micki Trost.
Daily medical screenings as used at the Center can only detect someone who is already infected, at which point they may have been shedding the virus for days. This is probably the tip of the iceberg. Without widespread and repeated testing there may be many infected but asymptomatic individuals working in emergency services.
Share with us in a comment how your workplace is attempting to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Below is the information from the Colorado State Emergency Operations Center.
Unified Command Group Member Tests Positive to COVID19
Centennial, Colo. – April 4, 2020 – Today a member of the Colorado Unified Command Group (UCG) working at the State Emergency Operations Center tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member went through daily medical screenings and was asymptomatic until April 4 when symptoms started. The staff member then contacted executive leadership and self-isolated pending testing arrangements. Test results are positive.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is conducting a full epidemiological investigation to evaluate the level of exposure in the UCC. Staff members at the facility were notified tonight. All staff were asked to:
1) Evaluate whether or not they worked in the same area of the facility in the last 48 hours following public health guidance for possible exposures.
2) Inform supervisors if they had contact or worked near the person before transitioning to remote work following CDPHE guidelines to self-quarantine and monitor for symptoms twice daily (including measuring your temperature) for 14 days.
3) If staff were not in close contact with the member they will monitor symptoms daily for the next 14 days. Asymptomatic staff will report to work as previously assigned. Symptomatic staff will stay home and inform supervisors at the UCC.
For the protection of all staff members the UCC has a decontamination service clean the facility each evening. The decontamination has been in place for the last two weeks. This will continue.
Monday the UCC will conduct twice daily medical screening, once in the morning and again mid-day. Daily health screenings were implemented at the beginning of March.
My workplace (an essential food producing facility) has stepped up sanitation of all contact surfaces and urging us to practice social distancing. Not always easy to do when wrestling with 400 pound cheese barrels. We are told to stay home if we feel sick. We have also been told if at any time, we feel uncomfortable about being out in public, those of us with risk factors (age, underlying conditions) may stay home without penalty. No pay but no attendance points.
Now for my soapbox rant. Daily screening of temp and other symptoms only picks up the people who have been contagious for days prior. We need testing on a frequent basis. Even my daughter who works in a major hospital only gets screened for temperature.
We’re not stupid. Without immunity, we are all up for a round with this virus. Each of us. Viral biology 101. It’s no longer anybody’s fault; it’s just biology. It’s more contagious than any of the pundits thought. We KNEW a pandemic would occur sooner or later. Here it is. There will be others … this is life.
Bill, please edit this as you wish. As an (ancient) old fart, looking back, I’d be “heads up” about living in a bunkhouse, working in the office or riding in a crummy. 6′ is not enough. Understand that whether in the backwoods, back home or on Broadway, we WILL be exposed to it, we WILL be infected, and we WILL lose people to it. That’s not fear (I’m too old for that!) and it isn’t doom’n’gloom. It’s just history, biology, and cold heartless math. The only mitigations available are to slow down the rate of its sweep through the population and to gear up for daily testing, more ventilators, respirators, AND more trained, temporary hospital personnel. They are working double shifts already. And we aren’t even really started. This will be a genuine stem-winder. Thanks to all for your efforts.