COVID-19 Update Wednesday, October 21, 2020 5:30 Pm COVID
COVID-19 Update Wednesday, October 21, 2020 5:30 pm
● COVID-19 Staff Testing announced for Rendezvous Elementary ● School District COVID-19 case update ● Why pursuing pre-vaccine “herd immunity” is a fallacy ● Guidelines for a safe Halloween
For current local, regional and statewide case numbers and data dashboards, visit Teton County’s COVID-19 Community Information Hub
COVID-19 staff testing announced for Rendezvous Elementary
Kristin Weston, from Rendezvous Elementary, announced a COVID testing pilot program for staff. The school was selected based on their proximity to the hospital as well as the size of their staff. The hospital will roll this opportunity to more groups within D401 schools as quickly as they are able.
Staff will be tested tomorrow, Thursday, October 22, with results received within the hour. This is a voluntary program with participants agreeing to testing for a minimum of ten weeks. Individuals who test positive, even if they are asymptomatic, will be expected to follow EIPH and CDC guidance regarding self-isolation. While it will obviously help slow the spread of COVID-19 by identifying potential cases, it will also help establish a testing process and provide data and insight to Teton Valley Health.
COVID update from TSD 401 as of Monday, October 19:
Teton High had one staff member who tested positive on Monday and another who had a possible exposure, bringing total counts to 30 positive cases and 181 possible exposures, both students and staff.
Herd Immunity Misconceptions: “The Great Barrington Declaration,” a petition signed by a small minority of well-credentialed scientists and others, has gained traction with some groups across the nation and garnered considerable attention on social media. It was even cited by non-medical members of the Eastern Idaho Board of Health as justification for stripping many precautionary recommendations and mandates from their Regional Response Plan.
The declaration proposes shifting government COVID-19 policies and public behavior toward achieving herd immunity - the point at which enough people have become immune to the virus that its spread becomes unlikely. The idea is to build general immunity in the population by allowing those with minimal risk factors to become infected as they live their lives normally. Only those at higher risk, say the declaration’s proponents, would need to be isolated or otherwise protected.
Herd immunity only occurs when enough individuals achieve immunity, either through natural infection or a vaccine, so that the outbreak eventually dies out. However, the declaration’s proposal for herd immunity through widespread infection does not take into account possible harm to people in low-risk groups. Many people recover from COVID -19 very slowly, and a significant number, including those with no symptoms, suffer damage to their heart and lungs. It is unknown whether this damage will cut years from their lives or affect their quality of life. Second, the declaration says very little about how to protect the vulnerable, especially if low- and high-risk people live in the same household. How are the vulnerable who need to go to work every day protected? Also, if high-risk people are expected to live in isolation to protect themselves, what effect will that have on their mental health? People at risk constitute more than a small percentage of the populace. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has calculated that nearly half of people in the US have pre-existing conditions that could put them at risk for severe COVID-19.
Finally, the declaration omits mention of how many additional people would die as a result of this policy, which could be significant. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, whose modeling of the pandemic the White House has frequently cited, predicts up to about 415,000 deaths by Feb. 1 if current restrictions remain in place. If these restrictions are eased, deaths could rise to as many as 571,527 during the same period. With eased mandates, it is estimated that only 25 percent of the population will have been infected by then. Various models suggest that 43-70 percent of the population would need to be infected before transmission trends would definitively drop. Even if herd immunity can be achieved with only 40 percent of the population infected, it is estimated that a total of 800,000 Americans would die. If the infection percentages required for herd immunity are on the higher end, the death toll could far exceed one million.
As horrific a price as that is, it could prove much worse if those who recover from the immediate effects of the virus suffer heart, lung or other organ damage, leading to early death or incapacitation.
A widespread shut-down like that seen in the early onset of COVID - 19 is not being suggested. A simple alternative, which has been urged locally for months to protect everyone in our community, is to maintain social distancing, avoid crowds, wear masks, wash hands and use a robust contact tracing system. Support should be provided for those who are asked to self-quarantine and for selected closures when and where necessary.
Herd immunity should be considered a realistic goal only after an effective vaccine has been approved and widely distributed, and even then the public should follow common sense precautionary practices until case numbers drop significantly. Information sources: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, The New York Times, Medscape, The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation
Having a Safe Halloween:
Trick or Treating Guidelines from the CDC:
Make trick-or-treating safer ● Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters. ● Give out treats outdoors, if possible. ● Set up a station with individually bagged treats for kids to take. ● Wash hands before handling treats. ● Wear a mask.
Wear a mask ● Make your cloth mask part of your costume. ● A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. ● Do not wear a costume mask over a cloth mask. It can make breathing more difficult. ● Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing
Stay at least 6 feet away from others who do not live with you ● Indoors and outdoors, you are more likely to get or spread COVID-19 when you are in close contact with others for a long time.
Wash your hands ● Bring hand sanitizer with you and use it after touching objects or other people. ● Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. ● Parents: supervise young children using hand sanitizer. ● Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds when you get home and before you eat any treats.
Complete CDC guidelines for Halloween: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/halloween.html
Halloween information from Driggs:
Due to COVID - 19 concerns, the Downtown Driggs Association (DDA) will not host the traditional downtown Trick or Treat on Halloween, Sat., Oct. 31. Instead, the DDA invites you to Driggs to visit the scarecrows. Take selfies with the scarecrows and post them on Facebook and Instagram using #downtowndriggs #driggsscarecrows, #culturalhuboftheuniverse and hashtags of your favorite businesses!
A survey of Driggs businesses indicates that some, but not all businesses, will offer pre-packaged candy on Halloween.
Halloween information from Victor:
Victor is celebrating the spirit of the harvest this fall by joining in the annual Scarecrow Contest. Original scarecrows created by Victor businesses and non-profits are on display from October 9 through October 31. We invite and encourage residents and visitors from around the region to come downtown to meet the Scarecrows and vote for their favorites in five unique categories. Stay to shop, have a meal and enjoy our public spaces. Voting and more information is available on the City’s website at www.victorcityidaho.com. Under normal circumstances, the City of Victor approves a special event application to close the city streets and use the city’s barricades and burn barrels for the Brookside Hollow Halloween celebration and trick or treating. However, this year the CDC has released guidelines listing traditional trick or treating as a high risk activity. Due to these guidelines, the City cannot approve a request to close the roads or use the city’s equipment for a traditional trick or treating event. We wish everyone a spooky, safe, and fun Halloween and encourage everyone to visit the Scarecrows!
Sign up for Community update emails To subscribe to Community COVID-19 update emails, click here. You can also get current COVID information, including links to a variety of pandemic-related resources, by going to Teton County’s COVID-19 Information Hub at: https://coronavirus-response-tetonidaho.hub.arcgis.com/.