I can't believe Colorado is actually having mtgs to draft possible care rationing plans before seriously working towards preventing people from being infected in the first place.
2/ “I would hate to see… sending someone home who’s homeless”. Um, ya. I think that would pretty well violate medical oaths!
Draft plans being discussed in preparation for the possibility of hospital beds & staff being overwhelmed in Colorado. denverpost.com/2021/11/11/col…
3/ But in addition to the obvious number of infections, hospitalizations, deaths, the horror of long-COVID, etc. -- there are plenty of other, less obvious problems already being caused by hospitals & staff being overwhelmed in the state. For example:
4/ A short thread of some articles earlier this week on other aspects of the change to "crisis standards of care" and the decision to open up boosters to everyone in the state because of the rampant, seemingly unchecked COVID spread throughout Colorado.
"On Friday night, Colorado’s COVID-19 modeling team released a new report warning that if nothing changed, 1,393 people could be hospitalized with the virus by late Nov.
It took less than three days to exceed that projection."
3/ Unfortunately, it's not just one area of Colorado seeing spikes. This is somewhat anecdotal, but here are cases in one suburban Denver school district. Currently on a streak of six consecutive school days of new highs.
Many are fighting hard at local levels for improved indoor air quality in schools (wrt COVID & beyond). One prejudice against portable HEPA purifiers is perception of "high-cost vs minimal benefit."
via @Ecole_Oubliee
A few resources below. Do you know other/better arguments? 🧵
2/ On the cost-effectiveness of HEPA filtration & ventilation. This @JohnsHopkinsSPH report from May 2021 touches into the cost of purchase & replacement for schools (+ much more).
3/ This article by Prof. Jensen Zhang from @EngineeringSU thinks through IAQ control strategies, but includes some discussion of portable HEPA filtration cost. tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
The movement to bring #CO2 sensors to school empowers parents, students, & teachers to advocate for their health; Reveals invisible factors of air quality & helps see how well ventilation is matched to room activity.
2/ If you are able to buy or borrow a CO2 sensor, stick it in the mesh water bottle pocket of your kid's backpack, pin into their shorts, or send in their lunchbox. Be creative. Make sure it isn't sealed away; the more airflow the better the reading.
3/ A key goal of #COVIDCO2 monitoring is to understand how well ventilation is matched to room activity & occupancy. Share the data with your school. If CO2 rises above 800 ppm, interventions needed to reduce build-up of aerosol & risk.
“More specifically, clinic employees did not monitor storage unit temperatures for vaccines at all times and failed to use equipment and practices that comply with guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the news release said.”
“It is unclear if the Colorado Medical Board, which regulates doctors and other licensed health providers, or any other state or federal agency will take action against Dr. Moma clinic leaders.”
2/ Given that N95 supply has been reported fine for months, strange the CDC article comment was that “CDC continues to recommend that N95 respirators should be prioritized for protection against COVID-19 in healthcare settings”