Tag: CDPHE

State health department seeks public input on additional Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors guidance, as well as the next phase — Protect Our Neighbors

DENVER, June 15, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is seeking feedback on additional draft guidelines for the Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors public health order. Coloradans can review draft guidelines in the following areas:

Residential Camp Draft Guidance — Submit feedback using this online form.

Indoor Event Draft Guidance — Submit feedback using this online form.

Outdoor Event Draft Guidance— Submit feedback using this online form.

The deadline for providing feedback is Wednesday, June 17, at 5 p.m. The draft guidance may be updated based on stakeholder feedback and will be finalized on Thursday, June 18.

CDPHE is also soliciting feedback on an upcoming public health order — Protect Our Neighbors. The Protect Our Neighbors phase comes after Stay at Home and Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors phases.

Coloradans can review the draft framework, and provide feedback by Thursday, June 18, 11:59 p.m.:

Protect Our Neighbors Framework — Submit feedback using this online form.

Local communities will have the ability to enter the Protect Our Neighbors phase in late June, if they meet thresholds that will be defined in the order and guidance. Thresholds will include a local community’s ability to contain surges in cases and outbreaks through testing, case investigation, contact tracing, isolation, quarantine, site-specific closures, and the enforcement of public health orders.

With more activities open and available to the public, it is everyone’s responsibility to do whatever they can to reduce the spread of the disease. Always stay home when you are sick. If you go out, remember the big three: wear a face covering; wash your hands frequently; and maintain physical distance with others.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

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June 16, 2020
Unified Command Group Member Tests Positive to COVID19
A member of the Colorado Unified Command Group (UCG) working at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) 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 SEOC. 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 SEOC .
For the protection of all staff members the SEOC 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 SEOC will conduct twice daily medical screening, once in the morning and again mid-day. Daily health screenings were implemented at the beginning of March.

And, consistent with the Governor’s recommendations announced on Friday, UCG is embracing a culture of masking and supports the Colorado Mask Project. Staff are asked to wear a non-medical fabric cover over their mouth and nose when away from home.

image credit: MGN online

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April 6, 2020
State provides COVID-19 modeling data

The state today released additional COVID-19 modeling data to the public. Governor Jared Polis first provided an in-depth analysis of the data during a press conference on March 27. The state will continue to review data as it evolves to inform future policy decisions.

The modeling data was produced by an expert team that the Colorado School of Public Health (ColoradoSPH) assembled to assist the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in understanding the potential course of the pandemic in Colorado.

Drawing on expertise from the ColoradoSPH and the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, and the University of Colorado in Denver and Boulder, a team of volunteer experts modeled the pandemic using approaches tailored to Colorado, updating the modeling as the disease continues to spread in the state.

The team uses a fundamental approach: the SEIR model. The basics of the models are intuitive: prior to infection, individuals are susceptible (S) and once exposed (E) and infected (I) they are contagious, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic; those infected may recover and become resistant (R) or become sufficiently ill to need hospitalization and possibly critical care and to die. This standard model is thus abbreviated as the SEIR model.

Another important number in the model is the reproductive number (R0), that is, the average number of new cases generated per infected person at the beginning of the outbreak. (The Governor has referred to this number as the “R naught.”) If that number exceeds one then the infection will spread. Various figures for R0 have been reported at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic from different parts of the world, ranging from about 2 to 5. The reproductive number depends, in part, on the frequency of contacts between infected and uninfected individuals. The goal of social distancing, which we are all experiencing now, is to reduce these contacts and lower the reproductive number with a target value below one so that contagion ends. A critical question is: How much social distancing is needed to control the epidemic, and how long does it need to be in place?

The tables below provide two sets of numbers provided to CDPHE and the Governor’s Office. The numbers provided are for critical indicators and show the variation by the value of R0 at the beginning of the outbreak and the effectiveness of social distancing at reducing the contact rate, ranging from none to an 80% reduction. When these numbers were calculated, the team found that the R0 value for Colorado was likely above 3. To capture the uncertainty in R0 and the effectiveness of social distancing, estimates are provided for a range of values.

Model R0 3.5 4.0 with SD 0 to 80

Model R0 3.0 4.0 SD 0 to 60

The Colorado modeling team has continued to refine its models as the data accumulate on the course of the pandemic. There are other models that provide estimates for Colorado, but those models are not as closely linked to the state’s data.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

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April 6, 2020
Metro Denver Public Health Departments Rescind Stay at Home Public Health Orders; Adopt State Order
Statement: Metro Denver Public Health Departments Rescind Stay at Home Public Health Orders; Adopt State Order

Boulder County Public Health, Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Health Department applaud Gov. Polis and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for issuing a Stay at Home Public Health Order effective Mar. 26 to protect the health and safety of our communities. After much discussion and consideration, our three local health departments have decided to rescind our local level Orders and formally adopt the state’s Order. We believe this action will ensure social distancing requirements are consistent across the state, and that our communities are not confused by multiple Orders.

For more information about the state’s order, please visit: covid19.colorado.gov

While Tri-County Health Department is rescinding the current order we also recognize the unique needs of our counties and will if necessary seek waivers from the state to address those needs.

We are reaching out to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) for clarification on provisions, if provisions are interpreted to be more restrictive than we think is appropriate we will ask CDPHE to modify their order. If CDPHE is unwilling or unable to modify, we will ask for a waiver.

For general questions about COVID-19: Community members can call CO-HELP at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911, or email for answers in English, Spanish, Mandarin and more.

For more information about COVID-19 in your county:
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March 27, 2020
State health department begins to distribute resources from Strategic National Stockpile

The Colorado State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) are now shipping supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile across Colorado to help communities respond to COVID-19.

The Strategic National Stockpile is “the nation’s largest supply of potentially life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency severe enough to cause local supplies to run out.” Colorado received the following materials:

49,200 N95 masks

115,000 surgical masks

21,420 surgical gowns

21,800 face shields

84 coveralls

CDPHE estimates that these supplies are sufficient for approximately one full day of statewide operations.

The State Unified Command Group, which is part of the EOC, will distribute these materials to every county health department and tribe throughout the state where they are needed most. The following factors were used to determine allocation:

county population

portion of the population that is older than age 65 proportional to the state population

the number of nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals

if the county or tribe has received supplies previously All county health departments and tribes in the state will receive supplies. CDPHE will work with regional staff to coordinate deliveries.

“We are relieved that we have finally received materials from the Strategic National Stockpile, but it’s not nearly enough,” said Scott Bookman, COVID Incident Commander, CDPHE. “We’re going to need more supplies and are grateful to all our partners across the state who are donating supplies and stepping up to help Colorado meet the demand.”

There are many ways people can contribute to these efforts:

The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is coordinating requests for supplies and donations of supplies, as well as trained medical personnel. Please follow the three steps on the Colorado Business EOC website [colorado.gov/cobeoc/business-members-and-vendors] to create an account in the state resource database. The State EOC uses this database to fill all resource requests from state and local agencies during emergencies.

Coloradans who wish to donate or volunteer to help those affected by COVID-19 should visit www.helpcoloradonow.com.

There is an urgent need for blood. Go to vitalent.org to sign up to donate blood. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is meant for single-use and is recommended by the CDC to be used for COVID-19 testing. In order to preserve these important resources for critical health care needs, CDPHE is urging the public to not wait for a test to self-isolate. People who are not at high risk of severe illness may not need to be evaluated in person or tested for COVID-19. Not everyone with symptoms will be tested right away. Call your health care provider only if your illness becomes more severe, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath.

If you have any symptoms — even mild ones — public health urges you to stay home and isolate yourself until:

You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine) AND

Other symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) have improved AND

At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.

Anyone in your household you have had close contact with (within six feet for approximately 10 minutes) should self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you haven’t been tested for COVID-19.

If you have a medical emergency, call 911. If you have severe respiratory symptoms, especially shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, tell the 911 dispatcher about your symptoms. Do not wait for a COVID-19 test to call 911. Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

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March 24, 2020
State health department calls on people, especially those who think they might have the illness, to self-isolate
Close contacts of sick people should self-quarantine

DENVER, March 19, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is urging self-isolation or self-quarantine for Coloradans and visitors to Colorado.

Self-isolation applies to people who: • Have a positive COVID-19 test.
- Have symptoms of COVID-19 (coughing, shortness of breath and/or fever).
- Are getting ill and think they might have COVID-19. Symptoms, especially early on, may be very mild and feel like a common cold. Symptoms could include a combination of cough, body aches, fatigue, and chest tightness. Some people may not develop fever or fever may not appear until several days into the illness. Self-quarantine applies to: •People who are close contacts of a person who either has a positive test or symptoms — even early symptoms — of illness.
“Right now not everyone who has been exposed to or becomes ill with COVID-19 will be able to or need to have a test to confirm whether or not they have the illness,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist, CDPHE, “but isolation and quarantine, even without test results, is what people must do to slow the spread of this illness in our state. Even people who feel mild illness, and aren’t sure, should follow self-isolation orders, and their contacts should follow self-quarantine orders.”

Self-isolation is for people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and means staying away from others until 7 days have passed since the symptoms began and until any fever has been gone for 72 hours and all other symptoms are improving.

Self-quarantine is for people who don’t have symptoms but are close contacts of people who have symptoms. It means staying away from others for 14 days to see if one becomes ill. People who become ill with COVID-19 symptoms (even early symptoms) while self-quarantining then start the self-isolation period.

CDPHE has put together how-tos for people who are self-isolating and self-quarantining. They are available at covid19.colorado.gov/isolation-and-quarantine.

“We’re calling on all people in Colorado now to take personal responsibility and self-quarantine and self-isolate in order to protect people and our health care system,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, CDPHE, “and we are counting on everyone, including the media to share this information quickly and responsibly.”

Increasingly, cities and counties, including some in Colorado, are issuing stricter social distancing orders than those that currently are in place in Colorado. The stricter orders mean everyone must stay home, except for certain essential activities. The terms of such orders could vary by location. More restrictive orders are a more aggressive approach intended to enforce social distancing and keep people at home to limit disease spread.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

El Departamento de Salud y Medio Ambiente de Colorado pide a la población, especialmente a aquellos que podrían tener la enfermedad, a auto-aislarse.

Los contactos cercanos de estas personas enfermas, deben de estar en auto-cuarentena.

DENVER, marzo 19, 2020: El Departamento de Salud Pública y Medio Ambiente del Estado de Colorado (CDPHE) urge a auto-asilarse o ponerse en auto-cuarentena a todos los habitantes de Colorado y a sus visitantes.

El auto-aislamiento incluye a las personas que:

• Hayan dado resultado positivo a la prueba del COVID-19.

• Presenten síntomas del COVID-19 (tos, dificultad de respirar y/o fiebre).

• Se están enfermando y sospechen que pueden tener el COVID-19. Los síntomas, especialmente al inicio, pueden ser muy leves y pueden sentirse como un resfriado común. Los síntomas pueden incluir una combinación de tos, dolores de cuerpo, fatiga y rigidez en el pecho. Algunas personas pueden no presentar síntomas hasta varios días después de estar enfermos.

La auto-cuarentena incluye a:

• Personas que estén en contacto cercano con una persona que ha resultado positivo a la prueba, o con síntomas — aún síntomas leves — de la enfermedad.

“Ahora mismo cualquier persona que haya sido expuesta o se haya enfermado con el COVID-19 podrá o necesitará llevar a cabo una prueba para confirmar si tiene o no la enfermedad,” dijo la Dra. Rachel Herlihy, epidemióloga del estado, “pero el aislamiento y la cuarentena, aún sin los resultados, es lo que las personas deben hacer para disminuir la propagación de la enfermedad en nuestro estado. Aún las personas que sientan una leve enfermedad, y no estén seguros de tenerla, deben seguir la instrucción de un auto-aislamiento y sus contactos deben seguir la instrucción de la auto-cuarentena”.

El auto-aislamiento es para las personas que tengan síntomas del COVID-19 y significa estar lejos de los demás hasta que 7 días hayan pasado desde que los síntomas hayan comenzado y hasta que la fiebre haya desaparecido por 72 horas y todos los demás síntomas hayan mejorado.

La auto-cuarentena es para las personas que no tienen síntomas pero que estuvieron en contacto con personas que tienen síntomas. Significa estar lejos de los demás por 14 días para ver si se presenta la enfermedad. Personas que se enfermen con COVID-19 (aún primeros síntomas) mientras estén en auto-cuarentena, deben comenzar el periodo de auto-aislamiento.

El CDPHE ha puesto una serie de procedimientos para personas que estén en auto-aislamiento y auto-cuarentena. Estos están disponibles en covid19.colorado.gov/isolation-and-quarantine.

“Le estamos haciendo un llamado a toda la población de Colorado para que tomen la responsabilidad y se auto-aíslen y se pongan en auto-cuarentena para proteger a las personas y a nuestro sistema de salud,” dijo Jill Hunsaker Ryan, directora ejecutiva del CDPHE, “ y estamos contando con todos, incluyendo los medios de comunicación para que compartan esta información rápidamente y con responsabilidad”.

Algunas ciudades y condados, incluyendo algunos en Colorado, han realizado órdenes de distancia social más estrictas que las actuales en Colorado. Órdenes más estrictas significa que todos deben quedarse en casa, excepto para algunas actividades esenciales. Los términos de estas órdenes pueden variar de lugar a lugar. Órdenes más estrictas son medidas más agresivas destinadas a hacer obligatorio la distancia social y mantener a las personas en casa para limitar la propagación de la enfermedad.

Actualizaciones en: covid19.colorado.gov.

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March 20, 2020
State health department pursues strategic approach to testing in face of widespread COVID-19 transmission in Colorado
DENVER, March 18, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is pursuing a strategic approach to testing in the state to steward our state and country’s scarce resources in the face of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in Colorado. CDPHE is sending testing resources to specific communities that have not yet had testing that will yield vital information about how the disease is spreading. There is unprecedented collaboration between state government, local government, and the private sector to increase testing capacity over the next few weeks. However, CDPHE is strongly advising the public: If you have symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath), don’t wait for a test to self-isolate.

The State is expanding testing to include a temporary site in Pueblo on Thursday, March 19. The Colorado National Guard and Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment are supporting these efforts. CDPHE also plans to send testing resources to other locations later this week. CDPHE is prioritizing testing in areas that have not been highly tested to better understand where the disease is occurring and respond. These sites will serve high-risk patients who have been pre-selected by area health care providers. They will not accept walk-up or drive-up patients.

“We are prioritizing testing in certain areas in order to better understand where and how much transmission is occurring,” said Rachel Herlihy, State Epidemiologist. “It’s critical that we are gathering data in all areas of the state, especially areas where there hasn’t been a lot of testing.”

The state health department is also strongly advising that if you have mild symptoms, stay home and avoid contact with others. Call your health care provider only if your illness becomes more severe, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 and tell the dispatcher your symptoms. People who are not at high risk of severe illness may not need to be evaluated in person or tested for COVID-19. Not everyone with symptoms will be tested right away.

If you have mild symptoms, suspect you were exposed, and are either unable to get tested or waiting on test results:
- Please stay home and isolate yourself until:
  - You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine) AND
  - Other symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) have improved AND
  - At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.
- Anyone in your household you have had close contact with (within six feet for approximately 10 minutes) should self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you haven’t been tested for COVID-19.
Testing completed at the State Laboratory will be prioritized in order to:
- Identify and monitor for community transmission of COVID-19.
- Investigate potential outbreaks in health care and residential facilities.
- Ensure a safe workforce in health care and other facilities serving high-risk populations.
- Test critically ill patients for whom commercial testing will not provide timely enough results.
As state epidemiologists keep a close eye on this rapidly changing situation, recommendations will change. At the beginning of any public health outbreak, it’s important to test and confirm individual cases. This information helps public health responders confirm when and where transmission is happening in a community. However, once community spread becomes more evident, public health moves away from diagnosing the illness in individuals and toward identifying community outbreaks.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

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March 19, 2020

Three presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 identified in Colorado today

Three presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 identified in Colorado today

DENVER, March 10, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s (CDPHE) state lab identified three presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, based on testing overnight. To ensure expedience on reporting out presumptive positives, the state will provide overall testing statistics as soon as we are able on the website.

The positive cases are:

Case #1

Sex: Male
Age: 30s
County of residence: Eagle

Case #2

Sex: Female
Age: 40s
County of residence: Gunnison

Case #3

Sex: Male
Age: 50s
County of residence: Arapahoe

Local public health agencies are leading these investigations and will provide additional details as necessary to protect public health. The investigations are ongoing.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting colorado.gov/cdphe/2019-novel-coronavirus

Se registran 3 nuevos presuntos casos de COVID-19 en Colorado

DENVER, Marzo 10, 2020: El laboratorio del Departamento de Salud y Medioambiente de Colorado (CDPHE) identificó 3 nuevos presuntos casos de COVID-19, basados en exámenes llevados a cabo durante la noche. Para asegurar la rapidez en los casos presuntamente positivos, el estado proveerá todas las estadísticas de las pruebas en la medida de lo posible en este website.

Los casos son:

Caso #1

Hombre en sus treintas
Condado de residencia: Eagle

Caso #2

Mujer en sus cuarentas
Condado de residencia: Gunnison

Cas0 #3

Hombre en sus cincuentas
Condado de residencia: Arapahoe

Las agencias de salud pública están llevando a cabo estas investigaciones y proveerán detalles adicionales para proteger la salud pública. Estas son investigaciones en curso.

Tag: CDPHE

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