“If we keep on the trajectory we are on it is definitely going to become a problem”

A Q&A with Christine Billings, who is coordinating Jeffco's COVID-19 response

Paul Albani-Burgio
palbaniburgio@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Posted 11/3/20

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its eighth month, the recent picture that has emerged in Jeffco has been a discouraging one to say the least. Case counts have repeatedly reached new highs in recent …

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“If we keep on the trajectory we are on it is definitely going to become a problem”

A Q&A with Christine Billings, who is coordinating Jeffco's COVID-19 response

Posted

As the COVID-19 pandemic nears its eighth month, the recent picture that has emerged in Jeffco has been a discouraging one to say the least. Case counts have repeatedly reached new highs in recent days making a move to Safer-at-Home Level 3 on the state’s COVID-19 dial increasingly likely. Such a move would trigger a tightening of restrictions like those recently seen in Denver.

“I don’t see anything happening in the next week with case counts that would lead the state to say `hey, you are staying in Level 2 metrics because we are definitely in Level 3 metrics,” said Christine Billings, Jeffco’s COVID-19 response incident commander.

With JCPH working to get a handle on rising counts, Colorado Community Media spoke with Billings about what is causing the current spike, her advice for Jeffco residents struggling with COVID fatigue and the likelihood Jeffco could soon face a new Safer-at-Home order.

What is the current COVID-19 situation in Jeffco?

I think overall the case counts in the county have continued to rise almost at what I would call an exponential rate, and definitely a rate that is concerning when it comes to controlling the spread in Jeffco. So we are seeing increasing case counts across all exposure categories, there is certainly not anyone that in particular stands out. We are definitely seeing spread within households where we see one community member who tests positive and comes home.

As the pandemic has worn on peoples’ guard and vigilance has dropped a little bit, which is to expected in a longterm event like this. But as that vigilance has dropped, we are seeing cases occurring in households and social gathering situations where people might not be as vigilant as they used to be as we see time wear on.

How are the hospitalization rates?

We are definitely seeing an increase in the number of hospitalizations, which does align with the number of cases we are seeing. What is challenging with the hospitalization numbers is with that comes an increased burden on our hospitals. So, while our hospitals may have beds, staffing of those beds can be challenging in a time when the staff within those beds are impacted by the disease personally or professionally as well. So that’s something we are concerned about because if we keep on the trajectory we are on it is definitely going to become a problem.

What would you say to people who feel they have done everything right but are getting tired of it as they see other people being less stringent?

First of all, I would definitely say thank you. But then this weekend my daughter had asked me if she could plan a small gathering with her friends but then someone ended up inviting more and more kids. So, she chatted with a couple of her girlfriends and told them she wasn’t comfortable going and they decided they weren’t comfortable either. She stood up and said something which gave people the confidence to align with what they knew in their heart was the right thing to do.

In the county we’ve got those who are very supportive of the recommendations and those who don’t agree with them but my hope is those that are doing the right thing and following all the recommendations can provide a vote of confidence to those who may be on the fence and that will help to start to stem the tide of increasing cases.

Residents are starting to think about and make plans for the holidays. What are your current thoughts on what people should be thinking as they get closer?

I would say keep it small and this is the year to enjoy a really small and close knit celebration within your house and within your circle. Don’t be afraid to wear your masks and ask that your guests do that. In my house, we had a birthday party for a 16-year-old and we all wore masks. It was weird and awkward to have everyone wearing masks but weird and awkward will eventually get us over the hump and through this peak in COVID cases.

How close is Jeffco to dropping to the “Stay-At-Home” phase of the COVID-19 dial?

As of Oct. 26, we were about 750 cases over a two-week period away from the number that would trigger a move to Stay-at-Home under the state metrics, which is about twice what it will be to move to Level 3 of the Safer-at-Home phase.

So, it’s a pretty big number but if we hit that number it is going to be an incredible amount of work for the community to try to turn it around and the health department staff to try to do the case investigations. That would be such a significant impact for the community if we got there. Could we get there? Sure, but hopefully this potential move to Level 3 and the counties around us shifting down as well really starts to have an impact.

Christine Billings, COVID-19, Jeffco, public Health

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