COLORADO, USA — Although those working on the frontlines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic would seem to be the most at risk for picking up the disease, there is a health care company that says they do not know of a single worker who has picked up the disease from an infected patient.
Kaiser Permanente health care workers in Colorado have seen a lot of patients with COVID-19.
But Dr. Amy Duckro, an infectious diseases specialist with the company, said they don't know of any transmission of infection to their 3,000 frontline health care workers or vice versa.
What employees at Kaiser have been doing is not a secret, according to Duckro: social distancing, wearing masks, washing their hands and not touching their mouths.
She said that while the numbers are remarkable, everyone recognizes the caution they need to continue taking during the pandemic.
"I think the moment we allow ourselves to feel relaxed there is a bit of a risk that we will not take the same level of precautions and allow ourselves to stop this careful approach," Duckro said.
She said there's nothing magical about this virus: it's an infectious disease that spreads from person to person.
If everyone follows the instructions from health officials, Duckro said that we can also help control the spread of the virus.
"I hope this translates to our community in the sense that yes, we can manage it but that we don't become complacent but that we become empowered to manage our own risk," Duckro said.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story did not correctly define Kaiser Permanente and did not clearly explain the COVID-19 rate among staff members.
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