7/8/2021 Crowley/Otero COVID-19 Update #1: Weekly Update
Description: 7/8/2021 Crowley/Otero COVID-19 Update #1: Weekly Update
THIS IS A RAPIDLY EVOLVING AND FLUID SITUATION. INFORMATION AND ACTION ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME. BE PREPARED TO BE FLEXIBLE AND PATIENT.
The situations, numbers, website links, data, and etc. described below were current as of Thursday 7/8/2021 at 9:50 a.m.
PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS WIDELY
7/8/2021 Crowley/Otero COVID-19 Update #1: Weekly Update
Please take the time to read and understand this entire message.
Internet links: Before I send out each update, I check the links to make sure they are active. However, links do change from time to time, so the links I sent out today may not be the same tomorrow. You may have to search around a bit.
Please find this week’s COVID-19 updates below.
- Current Crowley/Otero COVID-19 Status
ü One Week Cumulative Incidence Rate (per 100,000) Ranges
§ Green Level: 0-35
§ Blue Level: 36-100
§ Yellow Level: 101-300
§ Orange Level: 301-500
ü COVID-19 Dashboard: COVID-19 dial dashboard | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü Crowley County: As of the time stamp noted above, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) lists Crowley’s COVID-19 one-week community (excluding inmates) cumulative incidence rate per 100,000 people as 49.7 (for the data period 6/30/2021-7/6/2021), which is Blue Level (COVID-19 dial dashboard | Colorado COVID-19 Updates). This is not correct, as CDPHE has not yet excluded inmates in their calculation. After I reviewed Colorado Electronic Disease Reporting System (CEDRS) data, I found that 3 of those cases are prison inmates, which should be excluded from the community rate calculation. The current, correct one-week community (excluding inmates) cumulative incidence rate per 100,000 people is 16.6 (for the data period 6/30/2021-7/6/2021), which is still in Green Level. Crowley has been in Green Level for 29 consecutive days.
ü Otero County: Otero remains in Green Level with a current 1 week cumulative incidence rate of 27.4 for the data period of 6/30/2021-7/6/2021. Otero has been in Green Level for 14 consecutive days.
- CDPHE Spanish Language COVID-19 Website: Home- Español | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
- Ayuda En Espanol (Spanish Language Assistance): Para ayuda en Espanol, habla con Debbie Jaramillo en 719-383-3040 por favor (For help in Spanish, please call Debbie Jaramillo at 719-383-3040).
- All Hazards Emergency Preparedness: I began these regular COVID-19 updates all the way back in March 2020, when we had that COVID-19 positive train traveler stop briefly in La Junta. Yep, we’ve talked a whole lot about COVID-19 preparedness and response for many months. And we have learned a lot. For instance, we now know that a pandemic can disrupt our supply chains, cause shortages, and provoke a run on goods and supplies, from face masks and disposable gloves (which is completely understandable) to the inexplicable mass purchasing of toilet paper.
There are a host of other potential dangers out there that can negatively impact us, though, and we really should be prepared for them. What are some real examples from the past (just examples, not an all-inclusive list): Floods (La Junta, 1999), West Nile Virus Epidemic (early 2000s), tornadoes (Holly, 3/2007), blizzards (SE Colorado, 12/2006 & 12/2011), fires (Ordway, 4/2008), H1N1 Pandemic (2009-2010), water outages (Rocky Ford, 12/2010), power outages (SE Colorado, 7/2011), earthquakes (SE Colorado, 8/2011), and, of course, COVID-19 (2019-?). It is really not a question of “will another emergency happen?”. No, it is simply a question of when, what type, and what magnitude/severity. We have a responsibility to ourselves, our families, our neighbors, and our communities to do our best (within our means and circumstances) to prepare for the next emergency.
We need to plan for a time when the lights won’t come on, when the heat in our homes fail, when the water doesn’t run out of the faucet, when the store shelves are devoid of what we want or need. When preparing, think in simple terms, think about the basic necessities of life. I define the basic necessities of life as simply the things that people need to survive. What are some absolute essentials: Food, water, shelter (i.e. blankets, coats, heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, something that shelters against the elements), and medicines. To the best of our individual means and circumstances, we need to prepare for a time when these necessities may not be readily available.
Where can you find out more about all hazard emergency preparedness? Go to Plan Ahead for Disasters | Ready.gov. If you have not already done so, I would encourage you to sign up for Crowley (Crowley County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) | Crowley County (colorado.gov)) and/or Otero (Emergency Preparedness Response Resources | Otero County (colorado.gov)) Code Red emergency alerts.
Ben Franklin is noted as saying, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail". We most certainly do not want to fail in a life threatening, emergency situation. So let’s hope for the best, but plan and prepare for the worst. When it comes to emergency preparedness, it is most certainly better to have it and not need it (no emergency), than need it and not have it (emergency).
- Free Community Testing: Our local testing schedule is as follows until further notice:
ü Location: Crowley County Nursing Center
§ Address: 401 Idaho, Ordway
§ Date: Wednesdays
§ Time: 9am-11am
ü Location: Rocky Ford Public Safety Building
§ Address: 300 South Main Street, Rocky Ford
§ Date: Wednesdays
§ Time: 12:30pm-3:30pm
- VACCINATION INFORMATION
a. Vaccination Appointments: If you would like to make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination, please call Carolina Cortez at 719-468-8083.
b. OCHD Vaccines: OCHD is using Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) vaccines.
ü Pfizer vaccine information: Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Latest Developments | Pfizer
ü Moderna vaccine information: Moderna’s Fully Enrolled Phase 3 COVE Study of mRNA-1273 | Moderna, Inc. (modernatx.com)
ü Johnson and Johnson (Janssen) vaccine information: Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Official Website
c. Booster Shots
ü Where to go to get your booster shot: If you received your first vaccination through OCHD, we will contact you to arrange a time for your booster shot. If you received your first shot at another medical provider (i.e., your doctor’s office or pharmacy), please contact them regarding your booster shot. Regardless of where you go to get your booster shot, please be sure to bring your COVID-19 vaccination card that you received during your initial vaccination.
ü Booster Shot Timing: Here is the CDPHE information regarding the timing of booster shots: “If it isn’t possible to get the second dose on the right day, the second dose can be given up to 42 days later. If the second dose is given earlier than the recommended date, a dose given no more than four days early is considered a valid dose.” Here is the website where you can read the above information COVID-19 Vaccine frequently asked questions | Colorado COVID-19 Updates and the information is under the heading entitled “Getting your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine”.
ü Booster shot appointments: If you received your first dose of COVID-19 vaccine from OCHD, we will contact you to make an appointment for your booster shot. We are having some trouble contacting a few people because they are not answering their phones nor returning messages. Please answer your phone or return a message from OCHD so we can schedule your booster shot appointment.
d. More Vaccine Information: Colorado-specific information on COVID-19 vaccine can be found here:
ü Colorado COVID-19 Vaccine Website: COVID-19 vaccine | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): COVID-19 Vaccine frequently asked questions | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü Learn about COVID-19 vaccines: Learn about COVID-19 vaccines | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü Colorado Vaccine Dashboard (including county-level data): Vaccine data | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü Currently approved vaccine side-by-side comparisons: https://astho.org/COVID-19/
ü CDPHE COVID-19 vaccine hotline: This is a state-wide call center for the public to ask questions specifically about the COVID-19 vaccine. The hotline is open hours a day, seven days a week. The toll-free number is 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926).
- COVID-19 Test Information
a. Basic Information: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has some good, general information on the different types of COVID-19 tests about which you may have heard. To review this information, please go to the following website: Coronavirus Disease 2019 Testing Basics (fda.gov)
b. State Testing Sites: Here is a website that details COVID-19 testing sites across the state of Colorado: CDPHE Test Sites Portal (colorado.gov)
- Summaries
a. Crowley County
ü COVID-19 Rate Color/Level Status: COVID-19 dial dashboard | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü COVID-19 Data: COVID-19 data | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
o Click on “Case Summary” at the top/left
o Then click on “Maps” on the right
ü Facility outbreak information can be viewed here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/
o Important Note: Facility outbreak numbers (i.e. prisoners and nursing home residents) are only updated by CDPHE once per week, on Wednesdays after 4:00pm. Total case numbers, on the other hand, are updated daily by CDPHE. This means that there could be facility cases reflected in the total case numbers that are not yet reflected in the facility numbers. And remember, total case numbers are cumulative, meaning they include all cases since the outbreak began.
ü Total COVID-19 Related Deaths: 17
o Change from the last weekly update: 0
b. Otero County
ü COVID-19 Rate Color/Level Status: COVID-19 dial dashboard | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
ü COVID-19 Data: COVID-19 data | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
o Click on “Case Summary” at the top/left
o Then click on “Maps” on the right
ü Facility outbreak information can be viewed here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/
o Important Note: Facility outbreak numbers (i.e. prisoners and nursing home residents) are only updated by CDPHE once per week, on Wednesdays after 4:00pm. Total case numbers, on the other hand, are updated daily by CDPHE. This means that there could be facility cases reflected in the total case numbers that are not yet reflected in the facility numbers. And remember, total case numbers are cumulative, meaning they include all cases since the outbreak began.
ü Total COVID-19 Related Deaths: 67 (Note: This is one less than CDPHE reported last week, which is an example of the data cleaning process).
o Change from the last weekly update: 0
c. Crowley/Otero COVID-19 Related Hospitalization(s): Zero new hospitalizations since the last weekly update.
d. State of Colorado Information: https://covid19.colorado.gov/
e. United States Information: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | CDC
f. Global information: https://covid19.who.int/
- What can you do RIGHT NOW?
ü Read, understand, and comply with public health orders. Public health orders can be found here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/
ü Prevent the spread of COVID-19: https://covid19.colorado.gov/
ü Stay home if you are sick and, if needed, call your medical provider.
ü Wear an appropriate mask when required to do so.
ü If you are in a high risk group, take extra precautions.
a. CDPHE: People at higher risk for severe illness | Colorado COVID-19 Updates
b. CDC: Do I need to Take Extra Precautions Against COVID-19 | CDC
ü Cover your cough and/or sneeze.
ü Keep your fingers and hands away from your face.
ü Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.
ü Stay informed by trusted and reliable sources. Be careful about believing what you read on social media sites. Trusted sources/websites:
o Otero County Health Department (OCHD): Home | Otero County (colorado.gov)
o Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov
o Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE): https://covid19.colorado.gov/
Richard Ritter, Executive Director
Otero County Health Department
13 West 3rd Street, Room 111
La Junta, Colorado 81050
719-383-3045 (Office)
719-383-3060 (Fax)
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