More than 694,300 people in Colorado have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 39,500 have been hospitalized as of Monday, 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:
Friday, October 14
4:30 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
704,839 cases (+2,850)
40,183 hospitalized (+119)
64 counties (+0)
3,811,537 people tested (+10,182)
11,610,189 test encounters (+44,118)
7,864 deaths among cases (+24)
8,120 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
6,305 outbreaks (+8)
The latest hospital data showed 1,066 beds in use by suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19, 6 more than Thursday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.37%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Friday, 3,825,798 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,516,765 people have been fully vaccinated.
2:15 p.m. | Larimer County reinstates indoor mask mandate as ICU beds remain at or above 100% capacity
Residents in Larimer County will be required to wear face masks in all public indoors spaces once again – regardless of vaccination status – as hospitals struggle to care for patients coming into the ICU.
The new public health order, released Friday afternoon by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment (LCDPHE), calls on everyone aged 3 and up to wear face masks in all indoor public spaces starting at 12 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, regardless of vaccination status.
County health officials said Friday local hospital ICUs have been operating at or above 100% capacity for the past month. Currently, 40% of patients in the ICU have COVID-19 and 90% of those are unvaccinated. Their hope is that universal mask wearing will help slow transmission of the highly virulent delta variant until more people get vaccinated.
“Larimer County hospitals are being overburdened and we cannot allow this to continue indefinitely,” said Larimer County Public Health Director Tom Gonzales in a prepared statement. “Our hospitals need relief so they can swiftly and adequately treat all urgent medical needs in our community. Universal mask-wearing is the next best prevention tool we have to reduce the strain on our hospitals.”
Data from the Larimer County COVID-19 dashboard shows 35% of the county has yet to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The data also shows the county reported an average of 250+ cases per 100,000 people over the past month.
“We are in a battle with a virus and the sooner we again collectively fight this virus the sooner masks will be a thing of our past,” Gonzales said.
10:40 a.m. | CDPHE: Colorado now 14th highest in US for COVID-19 transmission
Colorado is now the 14th highest state for transmission of the novel coronavirus across the United States, officials with the state’s department of public health and environment said during a virtual news conference Friday morning.
State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said Colorado has seen a “clear increasing trend” in cases for the past several weeks with the state reaching a level of “high plateau” over the past two weeks, warning that it could take multiple weeks of a decrease to see if cases are declining across the state.
The cases are being driven mostly by unvaccinated people, with kids 6-11 years old – who are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine – seeing the highest rates of transmission, followed by kids ages 12-17, with adults over the age of 18 not far behind the second group. Kids up to 5 years of age show the least spread among age groups in Colorado, according to CDPHE data.
As of Thursday, Colorado was reporting 268 cases of the novel virus per 100,000 people, a 61% increase over the past two weeks, when the state was reporting 166 cases per 100,000 people, according to statewide data.
Also on Thursday, the state reported the highest number of hospital beds in use by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the highest patient count so far this year, according to CDPHE’s COVID-19 Incident Commander Scott Bookman.
Most of those beds are being used by people who are not yet vaccinated against the novel virus. Only 22% of beds currently in use are being occupied by vaccinated patients, CDPHE data shows.
Currently, 89.9% of ICU beds across the state area in use, a 4.8% increase over the past 30 days, according to a slide from Friday’s news conference.
Both Bookman and Herlihy recommended Coloradans get inoculated not only with the COVID-19 vaccine, but with their annual influenza shot to reduce the risk of a surge in respiratory viruses this winter and help protect hospital capacity in 2021.
If you’re traveling for the holidays, the CDPHE recommends that gatherings be limited to those who are vaccinated among those who are eligible for the vaccine and be limited in size – smaller gatherings are always going to be lower risk for COVID-19 transmission than larger ones, Herlihy said during Friday’s news conference.
She also encouraged a multi-layered approach for those gathering over the holidays: Wearing masks, maintaining proper social distancing, testing for COVID-19 prior to gathering, having events outdoors instead of indoors, or opening windows to allow for more ventilation if outdoor events aren’t a possibility.
When asked when Colorado could start seeing a decrease from the fifth wave of the virus, Herlihy said she couldn't really predict when that would happen and instead said she was concerned the state could see continued increase in cases as times goes on.
“Typically, we see respiratory virus season ... start in the fall and really increase through the winter, but COVID is unpredictable. It is challenging for us to know what the couple of weeks and months have in store for us.”
Watch the full news conference below.
Thursday, October 14
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Hospitalizations for confirmed cases of COVID-19 are now at 982, levels not seen since New Year's Eve last year, with the state reporting Thursday more than 3,100 new cases of the novel virus in 24 hours. Here are the latest numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
701,989 cases (+3,179)
40,064 hospitalized (+109)
64 counties (+0)
3,801,355 people tested (+8542)
11,566,071 test encounters (+37,442)
7,840 deaths among cases (+12)
8,120 deaths due to COVID-19 (+39)
6,297 outbreaks (+12)
The latest hospital data showed 1,059 beds in use by suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19, 25 more than Wednesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.55%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Thursday, 3,822,651 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,513,189 people have been fully vaccinated.
Wednesday, October 13
4:45 p.m. | Colorado COVID-19 update
Gov. Polis and two medical doctors from UCHealth and Children’s Hospital Colorado continued to urge Coloradans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to get their booster shots once there are eligible in a Wednesday afternoon news conference.
Dr. Kyle Leggott of UCHealth and Dr. Sean O’Leary, the director of the Colorado Pediatric Practice-Based Research Network at Children’s Hospital, spoke alongside Polis about the vaccine’s efficacy and the importance of people to speak with their doctors if they are hesitant to get vaccinated.
“It’s okay to be uncertain and have questions about the vaccines, and even be a little scared, but that’s what doctors are here for. We’re here to make sure patients have the best available information and to answer questions, so that patients can make the best decisions for their health and the health of those around them,” Leggott said.
Polis said Colorado’s COVID-19 hospitalizations remain on a plateau, though they dipped by 12 between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Of 964 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, 744 of them are not vaccinated, Polis said. He showed a slide that officials have repeatedly pointed to over the past months showing counties with the highest vaccine rates – Eagle, Boulder, Broomfield and Denver – also have the lowest COVID-19 hospitalization rates.
Polis also said that 18.3% of Coloradans aged 65+ have now received their booster shot, and a large majority of long-term care facilities have already completed or scheduled their rounds of booster shots.
Polis also said the nationwide trend of booster shots outpacing first and second shots can also be seen in Colorado. He said the state was seeing between 10,000 and 15,000 booster shots being administered each day compared to just 3,000 to 5,000 first or second doses.
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado.
698,810 cases (+2,461)
39,955 hospitalized (+141)
64 counties (+0)
3,792,813 people tested (+5,276)
11,528,629 test encounters (+32,154)
7,828 deaths among cases (+38)
8,081 deaths due to COVID-19 (+16)
6,285 outbreaks (+30)
The latest hospital data showed 1,034 beds in use, 11 fewer than Tuesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.18%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Wednesday, 3,820,049 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,509,846 people have been fully vaccinated.
Tuesday, October 12
4:05 p.m. | Jeffco Public Health: All county, municipal government workers to require proof of vaccination or weekly testing in order to work in-person.
The Jefferson County Board of Health voted Tuesday to approve a new public health order which requires all county and municipal government workers to get tested for COVID-19 weekly or submit proof of full vaccination in order to report to work in person.
The order goes into effect Nov. 1 at 12:01 a.m. and will remain in effect until Jefferson County has experienced at least 21 consecutive days in the CDC's moderate or low transmission categories.
A Jeffco Public Health spokesperson said in a news release Tuesday that while vaccines aren't required under the new public health order, county and municipal government workers who submit proof they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to their employer will be exempt from the weekly testing requirement, unless their employer chooses to require weekly testing for all employees regardless of vaccination status.
“While cases of COVID-19 in Jeffco were beginning to trend downward, this progress has started to stall, and I am very concerned we will endure another fall and winter marked by preventable illness and death, similar to this time last year, if we do not all act now,” said Dr. Dawn Comstock, Executive Director, JCPH. “This Order is based on evidence-based strategies to help lower the risk of COVID-19 when people are interacting in indoor public settings and provides a strong path forward to better protect our community. Thank you to all of the workers impacted by this Order and to all of the Jeffco residents who have already stepped up to protect one another by getting tested regularly or by getting vaccinated.”
4 p.m. | Colorado reports highest hospitalized patient count for confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the start of 2021, crosses 8,000 mark for deaths due to COVID-19
Colorado reported a total of 976 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest patient count since Dec 31, 2020. More than 8,000 people have now died due to COVID-19 since the pandemic arrived to Colorado on March 5, 2020. Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado — please note: The CDPHE added 627 backlog cases to its data dashboard that were not previously reported or processed.
696,349 cases (+2,000)
39,814 hospitalized (+243)
64 counties (+0)
3,787,537 people tested (+5,022)
11,496,475 test encounters (+24,106)
7,790 deaths among cases (+23)
8,065 deaths due to COVID-19 (+69)
6,255 outbreaks (+18)
The latest hospital data showed 1,045 beds in use, 33 more than Monday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.43%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Tuesday, 3,816,740 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,506,436 people have been fully vaccinated.
Monday, October 11
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers
Colorado reported a total of 944 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, the highest patient count since Jan. 1. Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado — a reminder that today's state data is an aggregate from the weekend as well as Monday's.
694,349 cases (+5,884)
39,571 hospitalized (+121)
64 counties (+0)
3,782,515 people tested (+19,155)
11,472,369 test encounters (+86,647)
7,767 deaths among cases (+34)
7,996 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
6,237 outbreaks (+9)
The latest hospital data showed 1,012 beds in use, 42 more than Sunday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.45%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,813,559 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,503,121 people have been fully vaccinated.
Click here for the COVID-19 live blog for Oct. 4-10, 2021.
