E53: COVID-19 Roundtable Update - 11/09

Our advice to you from podcast HQ for this episode is to buckle up. We’ve had an influx of COVID-19 developments and news, much of which broke just before, during, and after our November 9 recording session. Our panel will cover the before and during – including the latest numbers, Pfizer’s big vaccine effectiveness announcement, and much more. We ask that you stick around for a minute or two after the panel ends to get an update on Arizona schools and in-person learning. Suffice it to say that things are moving quickly right now. Luckily, we’ve got three experts around the table to help you navigate and make sense of all of it – backed by more data than ever to help clarify what it is that we do and don’t know. And the data is clear on this: our collective well-being during this pandemic is shaped by three factors that determine exposure to potential viral load: people, space, and time. More people = more risk, less space = more risk, and longer time = more risk. There is a big difference between a well-spaced walk in the park and a small, indoor bar that’s filled with people. Do your best Arizona. Wash up, mask up, and maintain physical distancing to help manage the risks of people, space, and time. Alright, let’s get to it. It’s time to vaccines, task forces, trusting scientists, the numbers, and the somewhat tricky COVID-19 tightrope we’re walking with case counts on the rise as of November 9, 2020.

Show links:

• Banner, TMC comment on surge in cases: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2020/11/09/covid-19-cases-arizona-showing-clear-upward-trend-hospitalizations-spiking-and-health-providers-brac/6180857002/ 
• 60 Minutes' coverage of Operation Warp Speed: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-distribution-60-minutes-2020-11-08/ 
• Pfizer vaccine 90% effectiveness announcement: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/11/09/pfizers-covid-vaccine-candidate-shows-90-effectiveness-early-test/6011925002/ 
• COVID-19 and In-person learning news conference coverage: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2020/11/09/kathy-hoffman-dr-cara-christ-hold-news-conference-covid-cases-rise/6221827002/