EL PASO COUNTY — There is new COVID-19 tracking data offering some encouraging perspective. "Meaningful data, meaningful statistics that don't panic people, but allow them to understand what's going on and what we're doing and why,” said Deputy Medical Director, Dr. Leon Kelly. COVID-19 data specific to Southern Colorado is the work of analysts with El Paso County Public Health.
One of the most exciting new graphs, tracks COVID-19 hospitalizations since early March. "This is what, essentially success looks like,” said Kelly, “This is what a flat curve looks like." The graph shows a nearly vertical line designating climbing numbers in the early days of the local outbreak. In recent weeks the line has flattened remained horizontal. The flattening started around 14 days after social distancing orders started.
There are numerous other graphs that will soon go on-line to a section called the Data Dashboard on the El Paso County Public Health website. Information includes El Paso County, coronavirus comparisons to other counties; virus data by zip code in the county, and COVID-19 comparisons to Colorado’s neighboring states.
The data offers some encouraging information. It also shows the need for continuing prevention measures. ‘The victory is not yet ours, certainly by no means,’ said Kelly, “We've got a long continuously challenging road ahead, but I think we're in a place now, where we can begin to have those conversations about where we go next, what that looks like.”
