Thread by @BauerJournalism

Arwady: "The risk is huge as these numbers continue to climb. And, unfortunately, as the numbers continue to climb, the response capacity has the potential to really get out-stripped. And we're really feeling that at the health department already ... ."

https://twitter.com/ChiPublicHealth/status/1326938321575059456

Arwady: "I'm very concerned. You can see our deaths here are up to 8 per day on average ... the fact those are up 3 times is very confusing."

Arwady: Deaths, hospitalizations can't be explained away by testing. "I am very concerned about the way this is going. And, as you know, ... we're in the biggest city in the middle of the Midwest, which is what is driving this current surge of the outbreak."

Arwady: "It is not a time for traveling. It is not a time for non-essential activities, honestly. ... Not a time for gathering."

blockclubchicago.org/2020/11/11/145…

Arwady: 2/3 of the time still, people have a pretty good guess of where they got COVID and it's from people they know coming to their homes.

If she could snap her fingers and make a wish come true: "No gathering in homes. Nobody in your home that doesn't live there ... ."

Arwady: She had a meeting with other city's health chiefs and all of them think the issue is gatherings of people inside and outside homes.

If she got a second wish, it'd be making sure people stay home when they're sick.

Arwady: Chicagoans are telling contact tracers they did go to work even with symptoms.

If you have symptoms, if you feel ill, STAY HOME. Symptoms include: new fatigue, cough, congestion, fever, etc.

You spread the most COVID in the 2 days BEFORE and after symptoms start.

Arwady: "We're just breaking records every day, not in the way we want to."

Assume you have COVID at all times. Social distance and wear a mask.

Arwady: I know from being out in the streets of Chicago that we're not being as serious as we were in the spring.

Amid the recent nice weather, she "couldn't look around without seeing a group of people. ...

"I know those people don't all live in households. And yeah, they were having picnics, meaning their masks were off, meaning they're interacting. I'm watching this and just block after block after block saying, 'That's where COVID's spreading.'"

Arwady: Chicago is far beyond being able to slow this by trying to get a hold on young people.

There is a generalized community outbreak at this point. There is no community in Chicago that's not at high risk.

Arwady: If someone in your household has COVID, everyone in the household needs to keep away and quarantine for 14 days.

Arwady: Your family/household should make a plan now about what you will do if someone gets COVID in your household.

Arwady: "There's good news about the vaccine, but the vaccine is not now. These next few months, unfortunately, are on us and our ability to decrease risk."

Arwady: Don't gather with your family (outside your household) for Thanksgiving.

She doesn't feel comfortable seeing her family for the holiday, especially older people.

Arwady: "Do not travel to Wisconsin, especially, for shopping. It is not necessary. Wisconsin — as bad as we are doing, Wisconsin is even doing worse. And if you travel to Wisconsin, there is a requirement to quarantine if you return to Chicago."

Arwady: "We've not made as much progress on treatments for COVID as we have for vaccine. At this point, there's still only one drug that's fully approved" by the FDA — Remdesivir.

Arwady: It's not been shown to protect people from getting COVID. It's more for people who are seriously ill.

Arwady: There's "mixed stuff" on convalescent plasma treatments. Studies are still being done. "That's an example of one that is still sort of being studied."

Arwady: It's a great time to think about cutting back or quitting smoking.

Arwady: "We are still very much learning about what it means to have had COVID. No. 1, we're learning that there are plenty of people who have what seem to be sort of some longterm effects we're still learning about."

blockclubchicago.org/2020/10/13/the…

Arwady: The CDC thinks that for probably about 3 months after an infection, you *probably* have some level of protection/immunity against COVID.

But it's absolutely possible for you to be re-infected with COVID, though it's been rare.

Arwady: She and other city's docs have been surprised to NOT see some level of herd immunity coming from communities that have had bad outbreaks for months.

"We are still learning about this. I want to be clear. And we are not necessarily seeing the robust protection that you...

"would expect to extend to your community once you've gotten enough people infected from COVID ... ."

Arwady: "We're not going to assume prior infection has given you immunity."

Even people who have had COVID will be recommended for vaccination.

Arwady: There will be a press conference at 12:45.

Updated travel order starts tomorrow: blockclubchicago.org/2020/11/10/if-…