“I am encouraged by the death data,” said Katie Colburn, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus who has been involved in modeling the coronavirus pandemic. “I think there’s a positive trend.”
Sneezing allows your nose or airway to get rid of an irritant, like smoke or dust, says Vijay Ramakrishnan, who is a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Usually, it’s a sign of irritation, not infection. “The nose is basically the initial filter that separates your lungs and respiratory system from the environment,” he explains, trapping pollutants and irritants from the air.
Some students fear the consequences of starting work at the height of a pandemic. On April 14th, Erin Aldag, a member of the class of 2020 at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, wrote an op-ed for the blog of the Association of American Medical Colleges … I am worried about 10 years from now, when students from the class of 2020 are tired, burned out, and have post-traumatic stress from these early days of their careers,” she wrote.
Laura Rosenthal's message to Coloradans was clear: Please follow the safer-at-home guidelines as frontline workers continue to battle the virus. "COVID-19 is unlike anything I've seen in 20 years as an experienced nurse," said Rosenthal, a registered nurse at University of Colorado Hospital and a professor at the college's nursing school.
"We don’t know the natural [course] of the disease. All we can do is [say] that if you have a good [antibody] test, and you trust the result, and you’re positive, you did have exposure,” says May Chu, a clinical professor of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health.
Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health, told NBC News that the state runs "a risk of a second surge of the epidemic" no matter when restrictions are relaxed. "If we waited two weeks or four weeks, still most of us would be susceptible," he said.
While it can be difficult to compare data directly, it’s clear the new virus is more contagious and more deadly than seasonal flu, said Glen Mays, chair of health systems, management and policy at the Colorado School of Public Health. … “That’s why we never talk about shutting down the economy” during flu season, he said. “No pharmaceutical prevention, plus being more infectious, plus a much higher death rate are why we had to pull out all the stops.”
"We've always had universal safety precautions for everyone in the hospital and operating room. Now, they are enhanced," said Dr. Jean Kutners, chief medical officer for UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital.
