CU Anschutz In The News

Now that there is evidence of community transmission in Colorado, public health officials will have to consider the risks of public exposure when making decisions on how to act, said May Chu, a clinical professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. “When community transmission is of greater numbers this becomes more risky. The most vulnerable must be informed and social distanced. Those who are mildly ill (and ill) should avoid contact with the most vulnerable.”

Scientists and public health officials are battling both the new coronavirus and the skepticism of a society that hasn't seen a similar epidemic or quarantines for generations, said Glen Mays, chairman of the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. 

“If you are going to places where there are a lot of people, you know, just (do) simple things — like washing your hands before and after you go into that place,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary, an associate professor of pediatric infectious disease at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. “All of those are fairly straight forward measures. As time goes on … we may see more recommendations for social distancing.”

Dr. Michelle Barron, the medical director of infection prevention at the University of Colorado Hospital, pointed to other disease outbreaks as a demonstration of what can happen. She described how the SARS virus exploded in Toronto in 2003, with early transmission of the disease to a number of people leading to many others getting sick. “It can have that domino effect,” she said.

“If you don’t have adequate vitamin D circulating, you are less effective at producing these proteins and more susceptible to infection,” says Dr. Adit Ginde, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “These proteins are particularly active in the respiratory tract.”

"The incentives of the healthcare system are antithetical to building and maintaining surge capacity," Dr. Matthew Wynia, the director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, told Business Insider. When Wynia thinks about shortfalls related to disasters, he keeps in mind that it includes shortages to "staff, stuff and space.

Thomas Jaenisch, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Colorado School of Public Health, said that he believes the state’s dry and warm summer climate could help contain the coronavirus’ spread during the upcoming warmer seasons. “I think this is something that is reasonable to speculate,” Jaenisch said.

“It boils down to these communities being less protected, with fewer resources to be deployed to screen and identify a threat,” said Glen Mays, chair of the Department of Health Systems, Management and Policy in the Colorado School of Public Health. “When a new thing happens, you have to make choices every day. Ultimately, that means someone’s not going to get served.”