More than 704,000 people in Colorado have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 40,180 have been hospitalized as of Sunday, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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, Oct. 22
4:43 p.m. | CDPHE to send texts to people eligible for COVID-19 boosters
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it would start sending text messages to people eligible for a COVID-19 booster starting today.
The state health department said that, over the next 13 days, the CDPHE will start sending text messages to people whose records in the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) indicate they are either 18 years or older and at least six months past their Pfizer or Moderna series, or 18 years or older and at least two months past their initial Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
The CDPHE says the texts will go out to over a million Coloradans and will be sent from 45778.
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
The latest data from the CDPHE shows the number of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 is at levels not seen since Christmas Eve. Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado:
720,620 cases (+2,846)
41,409 hospitalized (+204)
64 counties (+0)
3,852,715 people tested (+7,152)
11,822,358 test encounters (+33,045)
8,029 deaths among cases (+35)
8,306 deaths due to COVID-19 (+50)
6,379 outbreaks (+17)
The latest hospital data showed 1,132 beds in use by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, 2 more than Thursday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.49%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Friday, 3,848,123 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,541,364 people have been fully vaccinated.
Thursday, Oct. 21
4:45 p.m. | Colorado officials sound warning over ICU bed capacity, press for people to get vaccinated
Nearly 90% of Colorado’s intensive care unit beds are currently in use – the highest share in at least 11 months – and Colorado officials continue to sound dire warnings about hospital bed capacity heading into flu season and the winter.
As of Thursday, 1,130 Coloradans were hospitalized with COVID-19 and 89.6% of the state’s ICU beds were being used by both COVID-19 and other patients, Gov. Jared Polis and the state’s top COVID-19 response officials said in a news conference Thursday.
Of those 1,130 people, 893 are not vaccinated and 237 are vaccinated, Polis said. The average age of a vaccinated person in the hospital is 73, while the average age of an unvaccinated person in a Colorado hospital is currently 57.
Scott Bookman, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s COVID-19 incident commander, said there were approximately 120 ICU beds available as of Thursday across Colorado. He said there were fewer acute-care beds available right now – 934 beds compared to 1,130 COVID patients hospitalized – than there were during last December’s wave when the state had expanded the number of those types of beds. On Dec. 1 last year, there were 1,847 hospitalized in acute-care beds and 1,845 remaining, according to data Bookman presented.
Bookman said the current trajectory of hospitalizations was making him more concerned about what could happen as more non-COVID patients require emergency care for things like brain and heart surgeries.
Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the CDPHE’s state epidemiologist, discussed data showing that while the U.S. hospitalization rates for COVID are falling as a whole, Colorado’s continue to increase.
She said the trends across the country and in Colorado have some variability, and could be based somewhat on seasonality, but that hospitalizations were up across all age groups, including a “rapid” increase in the age 70+ population group.
Hospitalization rates are between 8 and 20 times higher among unvaccinated people depending on age group, with the data showing younger Coloradans are more sufficiently protected in mid-October by the vaccines than the older populations, who generally got their vaccines earlier than younger groups and who may see some vaccine efficacy wearing off.
Those trends mean the roughly 28% of Coloradans who are not fully vaccinated – and 22% who have not received their second dose – should get the vaccine, the officials said.
They also urged people to get the booster shots if they are fully vaccinated, with the rollout of boosters Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients expected to come in the next week after CDC advisers recommended their use on Thursday afternoon for certain groups of people. The proposal will now go before the CDC director for final approval.
People who received the Pfizer vaccine regimen are already able to get a booster dose if they meet certain criteria and are six months out from their second dose.
The governor said the state now has a three-pronged focus moving forward in the pandemic – first, accelerating the number of people who are getting their initial doses; second, getting more widespread booster shots in arms; and third, successfully implementing the vaccination program for kids ages 5-17 once the vaccine is authorized by kids 5-11.
Polis again skirted a question about implementing more public health restrictions on a statewide basis, saying he appreciated the counties, like Boulder and Larimer, which had put in place mask requirements indoors, but he did not commit to anything broader beyond urging people to take the typical steps to avoid catching the virus.
But he did say that the state was ready to move back to its crisis standards of care, which were utilized when health care systems were overwhelmed by the virus earlier in the pandemic, and that plans were “ready to be implemented if needed” as they were last year.
The governor said he was meeting with hospital representatives Thursday afternoon, adding that the pandemic would “be over if we had everyone vaccinated.”
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
The latest data from the CDPHE shows the number of people hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 is at levels not seen since Christmas Eve. Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado:
717,774 cases (+3,397)
41,205 hospitalized (+70)
64 counties (+0)
3,845,563 people tested (+8,212)
11,789,313 test encounters (+39,255)
7,994 deaths among cases (+23)
8,256 deaths due to COVID-19 (+28)
6,362 outbreaks (+7)
The latest hospital data showed 1,130 beds in use by patients with confirmed cases of COVID-19, 36 more than Wednesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 7.24%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Thursday, 3,844,457 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,537,562 people have been fully vaccinated.
Wednesday, Oct. 20
4:49 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado.
714,377 cases (+2,252)
41,135 hospitalized (+157)
64 counties (+0)
3,837,351 people tested (+4,856)
11,750,058 test encounters (+28,862)
7,971 deaths among cases (+22)
8,228 deaths due to COVID-19 (+103)
6,355 outbreaks (+23)
The latest hospital data showed 1,094 beds in use, 52 more than Tuesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.97%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Wednesday, 3,839,883 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,532,813 people have been fully vaccinated.
Tuesday, Oct. 19
4:26 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado.
712,125 cases (+1,983)
40,978 hospitalized (+654)
64 counties (+0)
3,832,495 people tested (+3,973)
11,721,196 test encounters (+15,990)
7,949 deaths among cases (+32)
8,125 deaths due to COVID-19 (+5)
6,332 outbreaks (+19)
The latest hospital data showed 1,042 beds in use, 59 fewer than Monday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.97%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Tuesday, 3,837,518 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,530,337 people have been fully vaccinated.
10:15 a.m. | Colorado Latinos faced tremendous challenges in pandemic
According to a survey of 1,000 Latino adults in Colorado, 60% had their hours or pay cut, or had somebody in the home lose a job during the pandemic.
Of those 1,000 people, 33% experienced spans where they did not have enough food to eat, and 42% of the Latino population had $1,000 or less in savings, and 20% had $100 or less.
Alex Sánchez, executive director of Voces Unidas de las Montañas, said it is nearly impossible to overstate COVID-19's impact on the Latino community.
“When it comes to basic economic indicators like having the money to pay bills in order to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table, the survey provides a sobering glimpse at how hard the economic recession caused by the pandemic has been for the state’s largest ethnic minority," Sánchez said.
The survey took place Aug. 16-31 by BSP Research on behalf of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights.
Click here to read the full story.
Monday, Oct. 18
6:28 p.m. | Delta County reporting increase in COVID-19 cases
The Delta County Health Department says it’s seeing a “significant increase” in COVID-19 cases, with more than 250 cases reported since last week.
Delta County currently has a positivity rate of 16.1%, well over the state's goal of remaining below 5%.
Since Oct. 11, 254 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, and one woman aged 65-74 has died. In total, Delta County has reported 3,820 cases and 79 deaths.
Four people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Delta County, and 83% of their ICU beds are in use. The Delta County Health Department said it’s concerning because many of their neighboring hospitals aren’t able to accept transfers because of low bed availability and tight staffing issues.
Vaccination data from the county shows 93% of their positive cases and 96% of the individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated.
The health department says it is seeing an increase in COVID-19 testing in the county.
More information on testing and vaccination options can be found here.
4:09 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
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.
710,142 cases (+5,303)
40,324 hospitalized (+141)
64 counties (+0)
3,828,522 people tested (+16,985)
11,705,206 test encounters (+95,017)
7,917 deaths among cases (+53)
8,120 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
6,313 outbreaks (+8)
The latest hospital data showed 1,101 beds in use. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.86%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,834,463 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Colorado, and 3,526,778 people have been fully vaccinated.
Click here for the COVID-19 live blog for Oct. 11-17, 2021.
