Governor Polis Updates March 30, 2020 COVID-19 Including PPE Supplies TrackerQuick Links to Stay Up to Date Topline Update As of today we have 2,627 cases, 51 deaths, and 414 hospitalizations out of 15,364 completed tests. Colorado has seen its first death of someone in their 40s, underscoring that no one, no matter how young or how healthy, is invincible or immune from this virus. We are thinking of these families and communities during these trying times. Encouraging News The Governor shared some encouraging news today that shows that the social distancing steps that we are taking are helping to slow the spread of the virus, which will protect our health care capacity, our frontline workers, and ourselves. This first chart shows that the rate of positive cases is slowing down. On March 12th, the number of positive cases in Colorado were doubling every 1.5 days. Today, the number of positive cases are doubling every 5 days. While we are encouraged by this slowdown in the rate of positive cases, the volume of cases still threatens to overwhelm our health care system, which is why we need to continue to do all we can to maintain social distancing and stay at home. This second chart shows the decline in vehicular traffic in Colorado; car traffic is down 60% in the past four weeks. This isn’t a perfect metric, but it can be used as a proxy for social interactions. Fewer people on the roads means fewer person-to-person contacts, fewer chances for Colorado residents to spread the virus to others. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Update This chart shows our severe need for personal protective equipment (PPE) for our medical personnel. What the Governor has requested to date will get us through a couple of weeks. It doesn’t begin to reflect what we know the need will be in the weeks and months ahead as this situation evolves. The administration is doing everything we can to pursue additional PPE through alternative channels, including: PPE drive(s), through the Innovation Response Team marshalling the private sector and identifying additional supply chains, and of course we are relying on whatever help we can get from the federal government. You can view these charts and the rest of the presentation here.
Major Disaster Declaration On Saturday night, the Governor received the news that he secured a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government for the state of Colorado, which unlocks access to more federal resources during this trying time.
In a practical sense, this declaration means that we will have access to greater emergency assistance. It ensures that Colorado can be on a level playing field with other states that already have this status like New York and Washington when it comes to federal disaster funding and Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.
The Governor spoke with the President and the Vice President today to discuss additional programs and aid for Colorado under the disaster declaration.
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