OF
OF SNOWFALL TO GO BACK AND GIVE YOU THE LATEST TIMING AND JUST A FEW MINUTES.
THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
DAY SNOW AND THE COLD MAY DELAY
OR EVEN CLOSE SOME COVID 19
TESTING SITES TABACHNIK AT
COMMUNITY SITES ACROSS
THE METRO AREA.
THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED LONG
LINES WITH HOURS OF WAITING IN
SOME PLACES THE SURGE AND
PEOPLE WANTING TEST COMES WITH
THE SURGE IN CASES IN OUR
STATE.
COLORADO'S SEVEN DAY MOVING
AVERAGE POSITIVITY RATE IS NOW
ELEVEN POINT EIGHT THREE
PERCENT.
HEALTH EXPERTS SAY IT NEEDS TO
BE UNDER FIVE PERCENT TO KEEP
THE VIRUS UNDER CONTROL.
NINE HEALTH EXPERT DR. PYLE
COLEY JOINS US NOW TO TALK
ABOUT WHERE WE ARE AT TODAY,
WHERE WE MAY BE GOING.
DR. COLEY, GOOD MORNING.
TESTING STILL A MAJOR ISSUE
RIGHT NOW EIGHT MONTHS INTO
THIS PANDEMIC.
WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING BETTER
?
YOU KNOW, GARY, IT SEEMS LIKE
WE'RE TESTING WE REALLY HAVEN'T
GOTTEN IT RIGHT AND WE JUST
CAN'T SEEM TO.
SO THERE MANY THINGS WE COULD
BE DOING BETTER.
THE FIRST IS WE NEED MORE
TESTING.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TESTING
GRAPH YES.
COMPARED TO MARCH APRIL WE HAVE
CERTAINLY DONE BETTER.
BUT OUR PEAK OF TESTING WAS
JUST ABOVE FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND
TESTS A DAY AND YOU CAN SEE
MOST RECENTLY THE LAST FEW DAYS
THE TESTING HAS ACTUALLY
STARTED TO GO DOWN PRIMARILY
BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE
LOGISTICAL REASONS THAT YOU
JUST MENTIONED.
BUT THE WHL SAYS THAT IN ORDER
TO BE A GOOD PLACE WE NEED TO
BE TESTING TWO PERCENT OF THE
POPULATION EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO COLORADO'S POPULATION WHICH
IS FIVE POINT SEVENTY FIVE
MILLION PEOPLE MEANS THAT WE
SHOULD BE HAVING ONE HUNDRED
AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND TESTS A
DAY.
SO YOU CAN SEE WE ARE ABOUT
HALFWAY THERE AND WE'RE HEADED
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
SO NUMBER ONE, WE NEED MORE
TESTING.
NUMBER TWO, WE NEED IT FASTER.
IT IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE TO BE
WAITING FOR HOURS AND HOURS IN
LINE BECAUSE IT DETERS PEOPLE
FROM GETTING TESTING AND IT'S
UNACCEPTABLE FOR IT TO TAKE
DAYS AND DAYS TO COME BACK
BECAUSE THEN IT STARTS BECOMING
LESS USEFUL IN MODIFYING OUR
BEHAVIOR AND BREAKING THAT
CHAIN OF TRANSMISSION.
NUMBER THREE, WE NEED MORE
ASYMPTOMATIC TESTING.
SO AGAIN WE'VE SHIFTED TO THAT
MODE WHERE ONLY PEOPLE THAT ARE
FEELING UNWELL ARE GOING TO GET
TESTED PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE
LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE.
SO WE REALLY HAVE TO CHANGE
THAT.
AND NUMBER FOUR WITH
THANKSGIVING TRAVEL, WE'VE
TALKED ABOUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
FLYING THROUGH THE AIRPORTS.
WE NEED TO PLAN AHEAD AND
REALLY RAMP UP THOSE TESTING
RESOURCES SO THAT IN TWO WEEKS
WHEN THOSE CASES SEARCH WE'RE
READY.
WE ARE ALSO HEARING THAT
HOSPITALS ARE GETTING CLOSE TO
CAPACITY.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT
ALL MORNING.
WHAT CAN HOSPITALS DO RIGHT NOW
TO GET THROUGH THIS?
YEAH.
SO THIS IS REAL INTERESTING.
GOVERNOR POLUS YESTERDAY ISSUED
AN EXECUTIVE ORDER ACTUALLY
TELLING HOSPITALS THAT THEY CAN
TURN AWAY PATIENTS OR TRANSFER
PATIENTS IF THEY'RE AT
CAPACITY.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE HOSPITAL
GRAPH, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAVE
OVER 15 HUNDRED PEOPLE IN
THE HOSPITAL WHICH IS MORE THAN
WE'VE EVER HAD IN THIS PANDEMIC
.
ELEVEN PERCENT OF ICE USE
EXPECTING SHORTAGES.
THIRTY FIVE PERCENT HOSPITALS
EXPECTING STAFF SHORTAGES.
BUT WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING
AND SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T
KNOW AND LEARNED FROM THE CDC
IS THAT ONLY 20 PERCENT
OF HOSPITAL BEDS ARE OCCUPIED
BY CONFIRMED OR SUSPECTED COPD
PATIENTS, WHICH MEANS THAT 80
PERCENT OF HOSPITAL BUDGETS ARE
OCCUPIED BY OTHER THINGS.
NOW OF COURSE SOME OF THOSE ARE
EMERGENCY STROKES, HEART
ATTACKS, ACCIDENTS, THINGS WE
CAN'T HELP BUT HOSPITALS REALLY
NEED TO START PEELING BACK
THOSE ELECTIVE PROCEDURES,
ELECTIVE CASES IN PREPARATION
FOR THAT SEARCH THAT'S GOING TO
BE COMING AFTER THE HOLIDAYS IN
ORDER TO MAKE ROOM FOR THOSE
COVID PATIENTS AND MAKE THOSE A
PRIORITY.
ALL RIGHT.
AND VERY QUICKLY YESTERDAY WE
GOT THE NEWS ABOUT A THIRD
MAJOR VACCINE, ASTRAZENECA.
IT'S SHOWING 70 PERCENT
EFFECTIVE WITH ONE SHOT, 90
PERCENT WITH TWO.
HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO
THE OTHER TWO AND WHAT'S YOUR