In this week’s coronavirus update with Southwest Health System staff, KSJD speaks with Marc Meyer, director of pharmacy and infection control at SHS, about the different forecasts for the peak of Colorado’s coronavirus outbreak.
The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation recently had a model showing Colorado’s peak has already passed. State health officials said it’s too soon to tell, and Meyer agrees.
Note: Southwest Health System is an underwriter of KSJD.
“I seriously doubt that we’ve peaked yet, personally,” Meyer said.
These models are used to help identify the peak need for resources to care for patients, including personal protective equipment and ICU beds. It’s helpful data, Meyer said, but data changes constantly and can make for misleading observations.
Southwest Colorado has its own complexities by being a rural community surrounded by state and tribal governments taking varied approaches in prevention.
“That’s what really makes modeling difficult,” Meyer said, adding that the local peak could arrive more gradually if people embrace the benefits of social distancing.
Hear KSJD’s full interview with Meyer below, including what a post-peak transition could look like.