The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Big numbers a concern, but show power of contact tracing
[ by Mark Reaman ]
While the number of new positive coronavirus cases in the area is large—more than 160 positives recorded since November 1—the bottom line is that Gunnison County remains in relatively good shape. But everyone needs to remain vigilant and not let their guard down.
”Once the numbers started ramping up, the public health nurses did a great job with contact tracing and it seems like we have squashed that second level of transmission that could have been really bad,” explained Gunnison County public information officer Andrew Sandstrom.
“Once we figured out where the cases were coming from, the county and Western Colorado University did a great job in isolating the people who had been exposed. People were isolated and many of the people who tested positive were already in quarantine as a result of those efforts. It really is a positive outcome, given the numbers.”
Which is not to say there isn’t some concern. Sandstrom said the county is teetering on the edge of the county Coronameter and if the health care system takes a hit, the county could go from the Blue alert level to Yellow—and that would mean stricter regulations.
“The last few weeks have been a lot of work but resulted in an overall positive outcome,” said Sandstrom. “We boxed it in and stopped that next level of transmission. But the virus remains in the community. The ability to give care is the next thing we have to watch since we are well beyond two of the metrics that tip us into the next alert level. So far we still have no COVID patients in our hospital, the health care workers are staying healthy and we can transfer patients to nearby ICU facilities in Montrose or Grand Junction. Those indicators are holding strong at the moment but we are teetering on the edge since it takes going beyond three metrics to kick us up to the next level. We are dancing along that line.”
Aside from the outbreak associated with Western, Sandstrom said other cases are tied primarily to travel or house gatherings. People catch the virus when they leave the county, when they are visited by someone from outside the county or when they hold a gathering with numerous friends in a closed environment like a house party.
“The key is to stay vigilant,” Sandstrom emphasized. “Now is not the time to pretend we can go back to normal. We are seeing a major increase in cases and hospitalizations across Colorado so the state is ratcheting up restrictions. We are being moved by the state to their next level but it shouldn’t make a giant impact. Basically it restricts businesses, including restaurants, to allow no more than 50 percent capacity in the space or a maximum of 50 people. Not many of our businesses have the space to accommodate more than 50 people with social distancing protocols. That’s the main difference but if we move to another alert level, the restrictions will be more noticeable.”
Sandstrom said Gunnison County is still okay with allowing 25 people to gather indoors and 50 people outdoors for events. A recommendation has also been issued that if you leave the county for more than 24 hours, it is a good idea to self-isolate for seven days when you get back to make sure you don’t develop COVID symptoms.
“We are continuing to take the right steps but we are teetering, so make good personal choices,” concluded Sandstrom. “It comes down to the ability to provide care and we all need to make sure that stays in good shape.”
