CU Anschutz In The News

Projections by a Colorado School of Public Health volunteer research team anticipate 39,114 infections by Nov. 19, peak hospitalizations of 2,703 on Nov. 27, 379 deaths by June 1 and 6,639 deaths by Jan. 1.The team includes experts from the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, CU Boulder and CU Denver. They’ve been updating their projections as the virus spreads and more information becomes available.

“They appear during what are called mass casualty events when there are large-scale hazards that cause larger than normal numbers of patients to need intensive care,” said Glen Mays, chair of the Department of Health Systems, Management and Policy at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center.

"These are decisions we hope to never have to make, but it would be irresponsible given what has happened in the rest of the world including Seattle, in New York and New Orleans, and other places around the U.S., to assume that we are never going to see that kind of a situation here," said Dr. Matthew Wynia, the Director of Bioethics at the University of Colorado.

Dr. Sean O’Leary, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a member on the infectious diseases committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics, understands the over-precaution new parents and even pediatricians are practicing because “we haven’t got a lot of research with newborns” and the coronavirus.

“I still believe that masks are primarily for health care workers and for those who are sick to help prevent spreading droplets to others,” said Dr. Adit Ginde, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “However, I do believe that for limited circumstances when individuals must be in close quarters with others, a correctly positioned mask or other face cover for a short duration could be helpful.”

“In retrospect, it’s clear the ski resorts had a high potential to play a special role in the spreading of this disease within Colorado,” said Glen Mays, an expert on large-scale public health threats based at the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus.

Dr. Hunter Moore, a transplant fellow at the University of Colorado [Anschutz Medical Campus], is a study co-author. "Everyone is looking for ways to mitigate the threat of this disease, and there's a lot of investment and interest in new drugs," Moore said. "But if this disease gets out of control, those drugs won't have had safety evaluations. TPA has."

Dr. Scott Cypers is seeing four different types of more significant anxiety responses to COVID-19 in his practice. He directs stress and anxiety programs at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. The first group are people who are typically highly anxious and now, they’re actually feeling relieved, “like, ‘Oh my God, now you know how I feel all day long.’”