E54: COVID Roundtable Update - 11/24

This roundtable arrives after another two weeks of big, and fast, developments. Generally speaking, we can lump most of what’s happened into two buckets – the good news (about vaccines in particular), and the not-so-good news (about big COVID-19 case increases nationwide, including here in Arizona). This episode was recorded just three days prior to a very unusual Thanksgiving holiday: no Macy’s parade, Thanksgiving football with few people actually in stadiums, and strong recommendations from public health officials about large gatherings for extended periods of time indoors. Here’s one way to think about your Thanksgiving celebrations: we can now see the light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel, but we’re not there yet.

Our health and well-being 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. Bars and restaurants have been shown to be more risky for COVID-19 by a significant factor. The CDC is urging us to limit travel and to limit the number of people at family gatherings. Do your best Arizona. Wash up, mask up, and maintain physical distancing to help manage the risks of people, space, and time.

In this episode we're talking about what’s happening in terms of good news about vaccines – but also what’s happening with the not-so-good news related to Arizona’s COVID-19 case growth, hospital capacity decreases, and more, as of November 23rd, 2020.