Our program on June 25, 2020.
Jesse Pacem is an Environmental Health and Safety Consultant that helps companies, large and small, build and improve their environmental, health, and safety programs. He develops and delivers in-person and online training. He works with hospitals and biotechnology companies on personal protection and disposal of hazardous materials. He has a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Washington and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Tulane. He has overcome the severe disability of growing up with Club member Dave Mushen.
Jesse Pacem is clearly very concerned about the threat that COVID-19 continues to be. In the Club’s thirteenth Zoom meeting, Jesse presented sobering epidemiology statistics on risk profiles.
For people that are older, the risks become enormous. According to the latest data, for individuals that are 80 or older, 40 percent of those that contract the disease are hospitalized and 30 percent of them do not survive. For individuals that are 60-79 years old, 30 percent of those that contract the disease are hospitalized and ten percent of them do not survive.
Underlying conditions, which are not always known to the patient, have make these statistics worse. Individuals with underlying conditions are hospitalized six times more frequently and are twelve times more likely to die.
These risks are much more favorable in the young. For those aged nineteen and younger that contract the disease, only 2.5 percent are hospitalized and fatalities are almost non-existent. For people aged 20-39, five percent are hospitalized and deaths are also almost non-existent.
The contagiousness of the disease, however, make if very serious for all age groups.
Further, said Jesse, much of the data suggests that a significant portion of individuals that contract the disease may have no or limited symptoms–they may not know that they are sick. For most people, symptoms occur on day five–but this may occur for twelve days following transmission.
Yakima, he noted, is of concern. The current rate of transmission, if maintained, would result in eighteen percent of the population becoming sick. We do not fully understand why the experience in Yakima is different or why other regions have lower transmission rates. Hence, there is a need for all regions to be very cautious.
For the future, Jesse noted:
- Zoom meetings are saving lives. He was very complimentary of the Club’s caution with regard to in person meetings and recommended that we not return to in person meetings until Phase IV.]
- The opening of schools is “a really difficult matter.”
- Day care, schools, bars, restaurants are to be avoided, particularly prolonged exposure. We should limit all indoor contacts and outdoor crowds.
- Nine feet distancing is better than six feet. New data published in the medical journal, The Lancet, confirms that distancing is highly effective, improving odds by 82% per meter.
- Wear a mask. The Lancet publication confirmed that risk is reduced 77 percent when both parties where a mask.
- Eye protection was shown to be very effective in hospital settings.
- Wash your hands.
- Avoid buffets.
