More than 405,000 people in Colorado have tested positive for COVID-19 and 22,300 have been hospitalized as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
READ MORE: List of Colorado businesses that are open
Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Below, we're updating this blog with the latest information regarding COVID-19 in Colorado.
Latest updates:
Sunday, Feb. 14
4 p.m. | Latest Coronavirus numbers for Colorado
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Sunday, with the change from Saturday in parentheses:
413,836 cases (+853)
22,797 hospitalized (+19)
64 counties
2,499,994 people tested (+5,124)
5,851,957 test encounters (+22,002)
5,824 deaths among cases (+10)
5,581 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
3,735 outbreaks (+0)
The latest hospital data showed 485 beds in use by COVID-19 patients, 4 more than Saturday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate Saturday was 3.75%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Sunday, 666,698 Coloradans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 302,414 people had received at least two doses.
3:11 p.m. | Mass vaccination event to be held weekly in Larimer County
Team Rubicon, a veteran-led global disaster response organization is launching an operation to assist Larimer and Weld Counties, UCHealth, and Banner Health in mass vaccination events being held at The Ranch Event Complex in Loveland.
The vaccine event will be held every Wednesday, starting Feb. 16, until April 18 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the event complex in Loveland. Those eligible for the vaccine can sign up for appointments on the UC Health and Banner Healthwebsites.
Saturday, Feb. 13
4:48 p.m. | Weather conditions prompt postponement of mass vaccine event in Colorado Springs
Centura Health is postponing a scheduled drive-through mass vaccine event in Colorado Springs due to extreme weather.
The event scheduled for Sunday at the Broadmoor World Arena has been rescheduled for Saturday Feb. 20 at the same location. Anyone scheduled to receive their vaccine at Sunday’s event will automatically be invited to receive their first dose on Feb. 20 at their originally scheduled time.
4 p.m. | Latest Coronavirus numbers for Colorado
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Saturday, with the change from Friday in parentheses:
412,983 cases (+1,209)
22,778 hospitalized (+75)
64 counties
2,494,870 people tested (+6,261)
5,829,955 test encounters (+30,597)
5,814 deaths among cases (+24)
5,581 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
3,735 outbreaks (+8)
The latest hospital data showed 481 beds in use by COVID-19 patients, 11 more than Friday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate Friday was 3.84%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Saturday, 630,634 Coloradans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 290,331 people had received at least two doses.
Friday, Feb. 12
9:41 p.m. | Arapahoe County sergeant on advanced life support from COVID-19
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Offices says one of their "most dedicated and faithful employees" is fighting to survive his battle with COVID-19.
The office said Sgt. Nate Kyelberg began feeling achy on Feb. 1. Now, Kyelberg is battling complications from COVID-19. He's been put on advanced life support and "can't seem to slow the brutal attack on his body."
The sheriff's office said a link for donations has been set up to ease the families financial burdens.
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers
Here are the latest coronavirus nunbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Friday, with the change from Thursday in parentheses:
411,774 cases (+2,091)
22,703 hospitalized (+48)
64 counties (+0)
2,488,609 people tested (+10,293)
5,799,358 test encounters (+43,208)
5,790 deaths among cases (+9)
5,581 deaths due to COVID-19 (+13)
3,727 outbreaks (+11)
The latest hospital data showed 470 beds in use by COVID-19 patients, 37 fewer than Thursday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate Thursday was 3.95%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Friday, 608,999 Coloradans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 271,104 people had received at least two doses.
2:45 p.m. | 2,000 DPS staffers receive vaccine in first week
At least 2,000 Denver Public Schools staffers received the COVID-19 vaccine this week, interim Superintendent Dwight Jones wrote in an email to the DPS community Friday.
All DPS nurses, early childhood education staff, teachers and staff working with students who have disabilities, safety staff and school psychiatrists and counselors have received the vaccine. DPS has about 10,000 full-time employees, though student-facing employees, such as teachers and other classroom staff, are being prioritized.
1 p.m. | Polis gives update on COVID-19
Gov. Jared Polis on Friday gave an update on Colorado's response to COVID-19, saying the state is 77% toward its goal of vaccinating 70% of all 70-and-up residents by the end of the month. In total, 616,000 Coloradans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 302,338 in the 70-and-up demographic.
The state began vaccinating ages 65-69 this week, and 35,618 Coloradans in that age group have received the vaccine.
Watch Polis' full update here:
11:14 a.m. | Centura to host mass vaccination clinic this weekend
Centura Health is holding the Pikes Peak region's first mass COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru this weekend at the Broadmoor World Arena. The event is in partnership with COVIDCheck Colorado.
Five thousand people who are 70 years old and up will receive the Pfizer vaccine at the event. All spots have been filled by people who previously signed up for the vaccine and accepted an appointment slot.
11:09 a.m. | Kaiser Permanente unveils mass vaccination plans
Kaiser Permanente announced Friday that it plans to host a mass COVID-19 vaccine event for Colorado educators, childcare workers and the state's senior population (70+) this weekend.
They expect to vaccine 19,000 people Saturday and Sunday at 16 medical offices, including:
- Aurora Centrepoint Medical Offices
- Briargate Medical Offices
- East Denver Medical Offices
- Hidden Lake Medical Offices* (70+ only)
- Highlands Ranch Medical Offices
- Kaiser Permanente Regional Offices* (70+ only)
- Lakewood Medical Offices
- Lone Tree Medical Offices
- Longmont Medical Offices
- Loveland Medical Offices
- Parker Medical Offices
- Pueblo North Medical Offices
- Rock Creek Medical Offices
- Skyline Medical Offices
- Westminster Medical Offices
- Wheat Ridge Medical Offices
Those who are eligible will receive an invitation by email, text or a letter to make an appointment. Walk-ins are not allowed.
Kasier said it plans to hold these events for several more weekends to administer first and second doses to those groups.
7:10 a.m. | Townhall, vaccination pop-up in Aurora Saturday
Two events in Aurora scheduled for this Saturday — a townhall and a pop-up vaccination clinic — will focus on helping communities of color connect with information on the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently available.
Townhall forum (community can ask questions to medical professionals)
-When: 10:15-11:30 a.m., Feb. 13
-Where: Zoom link
-Who's involved: Rep. Naquetta Ricks, Rep. Mike Weissman, Rep. Iman Jodeh, Rep. Dominique Jackson, Sen. Janet Buckner, Sen. Rhonda Fields
Pop-up clinic (primary focus on helping eligible individuals from immigrant communities; expected to vaccinate about 280 people)
-When: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Feb. 13
-Where: Saint Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 16250 E. Colfax , Aurora, CO 80011
-Who's involved: Rep. Naquetta Ricks
Thursday, Feb. 11
5:22 pm | King Soopers and City Market are now offering the COVID-19 vaccine. Here's how to sign up.
King Soopers this week announced that some its pharmacy locations will be offering the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible Coloradans through the federal retail pharmacy program.
City Market locations in Colorado will also be among the pharmacies offering the vaccine.
Currently, only Coloradans 65 and older, teachers and state government officials are eligible to receive the vaccine. Eligible Coloradans can sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine through King Soopers or City Market here. Reservations are required for the vaccine, and only eligible Coloradans will be allowed to sign up.
The King Soopers locations began administering the vaccine on Thursday. The company said it was working to get a full list of the pharmacies that will be providing the vaccine, but there are 147 King Soopers and City Market pharmacies across the state.
Click here to read the full story.
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, with the change from Wednesday in parentheses:
409,683 cases (+1,722)
22,655 hospitalized (+39)
64 counties (+0)
2,478,316 people tested (+16,006)
5,765,150 test encounters (+71,519)
5,781 deaths among cases (+11)
5,568 deaths due to COVID-19 (+31)
3,716 outbreaks (+15)
The latest hospital data showed 507 beds in use, 31 fewer than Wednesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 4.10%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Thursday, 585,780 people had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Colorado and 253,482 people had received two doses.
10:30 a.m. | Five Points Jazz Festival delayed due to COVID-19 concerns
Denver's annual Five Points Jazz Festival has been delayed due to "a combination of health concerns and economic uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic," city officials said in a news release Thursday.
“The most recent in-person Five Points Jazz Festival hosted more than 100,000, and we already know that type of in-person event can’t take place,” said Tariana Navas-Nieves, director of cultural affairs at Denver Arts & Venues, the festival’s producer. “Instead, we’re looking forward to unique ways to support this vibrant community both culturally and economically.”
Denver Arts & Venues executive director Ginger White said a number of staff remain redeployed to aid in the city's response to the pandemic, making it hard to plan for the Five Points Jazz Festival.
"We’re confident that revenues and live events will return, but right now the uncertainty of timelines for recovery make planning for events of this scale really difficult."
9:45 a.m. | Update on COVID-19 in Denver
Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock and other city officials, including Department of Public Health & Environment Executive Director Bob McDonald, will provide an update on Denver’s response to COVID-19 toay at 1:30 p.m. The discussion will include current data and trends, city planning and preparation for vaccine distribution, implementation of the city’s 5 Star program, and FEMA reimbursement.
Watch the press conference on Denver7's mobile, Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire apps or Facebook page.
9:36 a.m. | Denver Health to vaccinate 1,000 DPS teachers Saturday
Denver Health says it will vaccinate 1,000 Denver Public Schools staff, including teachers, administrators, custodial workers and bus drivers this Saturday at their new Denver Health Outpatient Medical Center.
The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
7:30 a.m. | Colorado unemployment numbers
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported Thursday that about 14,018 regular initial unemployment claims were filed during the week ending Feb. 6. Since mid-March 2020, an estimated total of 805,854 regular initial unemployment claims have been filed.
With the Phase 1 rollout, there were 30,295 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims filed for the week ending Feb. 6.
For the week ending Jan. 30, a total of 72,507 continued claims were filed from the regular UI program. With the Phase 1 rollout, PUA and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) continued claims for the same week include only backdated claims from Dec. 27 to Jan. 30.
For PUA, a total of 111,366 continued claims were filed, while a total of 167,018 were filed for the PEUC program.
CDLE estimates that those continued claims were filed by 35,758 individuals for PUA and 39,657 individuals for PEUC.
Wednesday, Feb. 10
10:58 p.m. | Fort Carson soldier deploying to L.A. to support COVID-19 vaccination center
Fort Carson soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division are deploying to Los Angeles Thursday to support a COVID-19 vaccination center.
Approximately 220 soldiers will deployment at 10 a.m. Thursday to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) vaccination center.
“Getting shots – vaccinations – in people’s arms is the mission,” said Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson, ARNORTH and JFLCC commander. “And this team, here on behalf of the governor and state, has the ability to get thousands more people vaccinated every day.”
5:35 p.m. | Vaccination clinics by appointment happening twice a week in Aurora
STRIDE Community Health Center will be holding vaccination clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the parking garage of the Hyatt Regency Aurora.
The clinics, located at 13200 E 14th Pl, are operating by appointment only. Currently, they are pulling from the waitlist of folks who have signed up on the website and vetting that they are eligible first before scheduling them.
Eligible members of the community can sign up for the waitlist here.
4:04 p.m. | Latest coronavirus numbers
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, with the change in parentheses from Tuesday. It appears that updated testing data was not provided. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment later stated, "Due to a temporary technical issue that occurred yesterday, Feb. 9, with the Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) system, today’s COVID-19 data dashboard shows incomplete case counts. There is no update to testing and percent positivity today. All other data remain unaffected."
407,961 cases (+751)
22,616 hospitalized (+55)
64 counties
2,462,310 people tested (+0)
5,684,631 test encounters (+0)
5,770 deaths among cases (+24)
5,537 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
3,701 outbreaks (+42)
The latest hospital showed 534 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate from the latest data was 4.18%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Wednesday, 570,582 Coloradans had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 239,285 had received two doses.
3:30 p.m. | CDPHE update on COVID-19
Colorado’s top COVID-19 public health officials discussed the latest on the state’s expanded vaccine rollout. Watch the video in the player below:
8:40 a.m. | Fort Carson offers COVID-19 vaccine
Fort Carson is offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments to TRICARE beneficiaries who are 75 years older and up Thursday at the William “Bill” Reed Special Events Center. To book an appointment, call the Colorado Military Health System Access to Care Line at 719-526-2273. Vaccines are by appointment only and walk-ins are not permitted. Enrollment at Evans Army Community Hospital is not necessary for TRICARE beneficiaries to receive the vaccine.
Tuesday, Feb. 9
4:13 p.m. | COVID-19 call center wait times reduced to 11 seconds, CDPHE says
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) says wait times at its COVID-19 call center have been reduced to 11 seconds after the center added more staff in response to long wait times older Coloradans were experiencing while trying to get information about how to sign up to receive the vaccine.
On average, the center receives 1,715 calls per day.
To reach the call center, call 1-877-268-2926.
4:03 p.m. | Latest coronavirus numbers
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, with the change in parentheses from Monday:
407,210 cases (+934)
22,561 hospitalized (+232)
64 counties
2,462,310 people tested (+3,842)
5,684,631 test encounters (+12,417)
5,746 deaths among cases (+13)
5,537 deaths due to COVID-19 (+22)
3,659 outbreaks (+26)
The latest hospital showed 538 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate Monday was 4.18%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Tuesday, 556,835 Coloradans had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 225,187 had received two doses.
2 p.m. | Polis gives COVID-19 update
Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday gave an update on the state's response to COVID-19 and said Colorado expected to receive an additional 27,000 vaccine doses over the next three weeks, as it ramps up efforts to inoculate teachers and older residents.
Polis said the state remains on track to vaccinate any Colorado teacher who wants the vaccine by the end of the month. He encouraged teachers to coordinate their vaccine appointments through their school district, not through medical providers.
As of Tuesday morning, Colorado had administered 541,770 doses of the vaccine, and 210,928 people had received two doses.
Polis also responded to questions about Denver's request that people experiencing homelessness be prioritized to receive the vaccine. Polis said "it would cost lives to divert vaccines from people in their 70s to younger, healthier people because they're homeless."
Polis said Colorado will continue to give the same vaccine priority to Coloradans, whether they are experiencing homelessness or not. Polis did say it could be easier, logistically, for the homeless population to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose, when that vaccine becomes available.
Watch Polis' full update here:
Monday, Feb. 8
7:25 p.m. | Winter Park Resort announces COVID-19 outbreak among staff
Grand County Public Health (GCPH) and Winter Park Resort released a joint statement Monday reporting an outbreak among ski resort employees.
Through case investigations, it's been determined the transmission was not from interactions with visitors, but rather from social gatherings outside of the workplace and congregate housing.
The official outbreak declaration allows for Winter Park Resort to pull in more state resources to aid with suppressing COVID-19 activity in the group of employees. GCPH and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will monitor the outbreak for two incubation periods, or 28 days, with no new outbreak-related COVID-19 positive cases.
The joint statement read, in part:
"It is important to remember that it is every individual’s personal and professional responsibility to make the right decisions and hold each other to the safest standards possible. Please continue to take preventative measures to protect yourself and others."
4 p.m. | Latest coronavirus numbers
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Monday, with the change in parentheses from Sunday:
406,276 cases (+987)
22,329 hospitalized (+23)
64 counties
2,458,468 people tested (+5,832)
5,672,214 test encounters (+18,685)
5,733 deaths among cases (+2)
5,515 deaths due to COVID-19 (+61)
3,633 outbreaks (+6)
The latest hospital showed 535 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate Sunday was 4.21%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 541,770 Coloradans had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 210,928 had received two doses.
12:20 p.m. | Colorado says Phase 2 of federal unemployment rollout will happen week of Feb. 22
People who are in Phase 2 of the federal unemployment benefits rollout in Colorado should expect to be able to begin reopening their claims or filing new claims the week of Feb. 22, the state announced Sunday.
That group of people will include most of those who exhausted their Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) claims before the CARES Act expired on Dec. 26, as well as people who are newly eligible to file PUA or PEUC claims.
The PUA program is generally used by people who are self-employed, gig workers, or private contractors, while the PEUC program provided extended benefits to people who had lost their job because of COVID-19 and exhausted the other state or federal benefits available to them.
The news from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment on Sunday came three days after CDLE officials said they were unsure when Phase 2 would begin to roll out and that they hoped to be ready for the rollout by the end of the month.
That information was met with disbelief from many people who are still waiting for the benefits in order to pay for rent, food and other bills — some of whom have waited more than two months since their last benefits expired. Some people protested the wait times in front of the department’s offices on Monday. The CDLE officials last week also worked to explain some of the issues that people were having with MyUI+ during the Phase 1 rollout.
CDLE Executive Director Joe Barela said in a statement Sunday that the department knows that “many Coloradans are facing extreme economic hardships right now, and have been anxiously waiting for the ability to apply for these added benefits.”
“The phased-in rollout of the program has been frustrating for many, however, our priority has been to get benefits in the hands of the most eligible claimants we could feasibly reach at one time,” Barela added. “We may have some kinks to workout [sic], but our new, modernized cloud-based system will allow for much speedier implementation of future pandemic assistance legislation that we expect to come from the new administration.
The slow rollout of the federal extended unemployment benefits in the Continued Assistance Act, which Congress passed the day after the CARES Act expired, has been the product of the CDLE’s upgrading its unemployment insurance system, which was originally planned for last April, as well as the need to implement new guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on changes to the programs under the latest package compared to the CARES Act.
Under the new program, PUA and PEUC were extended for up to 11 weeks, through the week of March 13 for people who are eligible. The CDLE has said that it will backpay benefits to people for the weeks they are eligible in Phase 2 to make them whole.
Last week, around 230,000 people eligible under Phase 1 of the rollout – people who had not exhausted their PUA or PEUC benefits by Dec. 26 – were able to start reopening their claims. The $300 a week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefit also was paid out to those people.
The CDLE said Monday it had paid out more than $166 million in benefits to more than 104,000 people in Phase 1 so far.
The FPUC benefit will also be available to people in Phase 2 of the rollout through March 13, per the Continued Assistance Act.
The CDLE said it will notify people eligible to reopen their claims in Phase 2 “in the coming weeks” about the next steps they should take. The department is also launching a campaign to try to connect people who are unemployed or underemployed with thousands of jobs in the state jobs database.
Click here to read the full story.
7:48 a.m. | Jeffco fairgrounds testing site closed today
The Jeffco Fairgrounds COVID-19 testing site is closed Monday. It is expected to reopen Tuesday.
5 a.m. | Total vaccinations so far in Colorado
As of end of day Saturday, almost 540,000 people in Colorado have received their first vaccine and about 207,000 received both doses. Click here for more stats on vaccinations in Colorado.
Click here for the COVID-19 live blog for Feb. 1-Feb. 7, 2021.
