COVID-19 HHRC Update: New COVID-19 Dial Framework, Metrics That Define The Levels, and New COVID-19 Dashboard
October 2, 2020 10:00 am
Information shared from Grand Country Public Health https://www.co.grand.co.us/COVID19
New COVID-19 Dial Framework
During this pandemic, Colorado is working to make life as sustainable as possible, while ensuring we do not surpass our public health and health care capacities. Different levels of “openness,” standardized at the county level, will help maintain this delicate balance. This framework recognizes unique local circumstances using an intuitive dial to visualize a community’s success in containing the spread of COVID-19. By increasing simplicity and predictability, local communities have another tool to make life amidst the pandemic more sustainable until we have a major breakthrough in testing, treatments, or a vaccine. This dial includes five levels, from least to most restrictive. Details for each level outline specific metrics and how many people can participate in various activities at one time. The five levels are listed below.
- Protect Our Neighbors: Local public health agencies are able to contain surges in cases and outbreaks through testing, case investigation, contact tracing, isolation, quarantine, site-specific closures, and enforcement of public health orders.
- Safer at Home 1 – Cautious: This is less restrictive than Safer at Home Level 2, for counties with low virus transmission but that have not yet achieved Protect Our Neighbors.
- Safer at Home 2 – Concern:The baseline. While we are all still safer at home, we are also able to practice greater social distancing in our great outdoors than in confined indoor spaces.
- Safer at Home 3 – High Risk:This is more restrictive than Safer at Home Level 2, for counties experiencing increases in the metrics. Action is needed, but Stay at Home may not be warranted.
- Stay at Home:Everyone is required to stay at home except for grocery shopping, exercise and necessary activities. Only critical businesses are open.
Metrics That Define The Levels
Counties will move between levels based on the metrics and will work with the state to ensure unique local factors are considered. In order to move to a less restrictive level (e.g., Level 2 to Level 1), counties must meet and sustain all three metrics for two weeks . Counties must engage in a consultation process with CDPHE, which may entail moving to a more restrictive level, when they are out of compliance with any of the metrics for more than two weeks.
- New cases: How much the virus is circulating in a county.
- Percent positivity: Whether there is sufficient COVID-19 testing to capture the level of virus transmission.
- Impact on hospitalizations: Whether hospitalizations are increasing, stable, or declining.
New COVID-19 Dashboard with Dial Framework Integration
GCPH’s Data Monitoring Dashboard has been revised to reflect the new COVID-19 Dial Framework. The dashboard now includes Grand County’s current level according to the State, Two Week Cumulative Positivity Rate, and Current Capacities.
It is important to note that Grand County’s assigned “COVID Dial Level” takes into account more than just current statistics for case rate, positivity rate, and hospitalizations. Public health capacity, epidemiological trends, anticipated future risk factors, and other community considerations are also examined when determining the current level. Decisions to transition between levels are given serious thought and are discussed between multiple entities before being acted upon.
Grand County’s current level is “Safer at Home 2 – Concern”
