It’s been 2 weeks since El Paso’s stay-at-home order took effect, but disease expert says impact unclear

EL PASO, Texas -- It’s been 14 days since the 'Stay Home, Work Safe' order took effect in El Paso County. That time period is considered a key time frame, as the CDC believes it likely takes up to 14 days to show symptoms when an individual has been infected with Covid-19.

However, a local infectious disease expert believes it is still too soon to see if these measures have had an impact on slowing the spread. 

“It’s a mistake to believe that the change is going to be immediate,” said Dr. Armando Meza, who works with Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso. “We know that diseases do not behave the way we like them too. That’s why we’re having this situation in the first place.” 

Dr. Meza says this doesn’t make these measures any less necessary in “flattening the curve.” He says the measures will help ensure our healthcare system is not overloaded, ensuring there are hospital beds and ventilators for patients who need them. 

“Even if we see the number of new cases goes up, that by no means means that it is a failure of the intervention,” Dr. Meza said. “It only means there will be more of a delay in seeing the benefits of this distancing.” 

Dr. Meza we should start to see an impact of the policies reflected in the data in the next few weeks.