[WATCH] Polis' COVID-19 Briefing With Survivor Testimonials

On Tuesday, October 27, Governor Jared Polis addressed Coloradans on the current status of COVID-19 in Colorado.

On the call Polis said, "to be blunt, if we don't do better in Colorado then more Coloradans will die unnecessarily".

Takeaways:

Take social distancing and 'Safer at Home' seriously
Schools to continue hybrid learning
Colorado has its highest number of hospitalizations since May
Hospitalizations per day have doubled since September 2020
The median hospital stay is 5 days
Currently, the hospital mortality rate in Colorado is 4 - 7%, in March that number was 15%
While all ages have experienced COVID the median hospitalization age is 57

On the call we heard from multiple Coloradans on their experience with COVID-19.

Some have recovered but are still home on oxygen. The emotional testimonials from survivors included PTSD for many families.

A before and after COVID photo was shared by one survivor who is nearly unrecognizable now. She said that while sick with COVID, her lungs "felt like concrete".

Survivors shared that they experienced rapid hair loss, indescribable fatigue and have ongoing health issues. They expressed how the availability of hospital beds and quality care while sick with COVID literally saved their life.

One survivor shared that she was extremely fit before getting COVID-19. A vegan, avid runner and 22 year veteran as a nurse practitioner.

She was only hospitalized for two days but after heading home she continued to experience high blood pressure vision issues and lost 20 lbs. She was admitted into the hospital on May 22 and said that, "today, anything more than a slow walk to the mailbox requires oxygen".

Another survivor thought he had the flu but by mid April he went to the hospital and was in a coma for over 20 days, he was discharged from the hospital after 58 days.

He went on to say that, to the people who think COVID-19 is a hoax, "it is 100 percent real and we can't do too much to be safe and protect ourselves, and protect those around us".

The moral of the COVID briefing is that while the hospital mortality rate is 4 -7 percent, many survivors are experiencing ongoing health issues.

Polis urged Coloradans to keep your bubble of people small and be cautious so we can avoid an overwhelming surge through the holiday season.

Personally, I found these testimonials to be really powerful as I didn't realize the emotional and physical and financial toll COVID-19 can take on survivors as well as their families.

Go to covid19.colorado.gov to find a COVID testing site near you.