More than 653,000 people in Colorado have tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 37,600 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, September 24
5:45 p.m. | More COVID-19 vaccination sites opening Sept. 25-Oct. 1
Colorado is adding to its large-scale vaccine clinics by opening a host of community vaccination sites that will provide vaccines at various sites across the state between Sept. 25 and Oct. 1.
Click here to see the site nearest to you. Most of the sites will be administering the Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, or Moderna shots, or some combination of both of them.
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here is Friday's COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
660,884 cases (+1,979)
38,118 hospitalized (+158)
64 counties (+0)
3,669,367 people tested (+9,601)
10,957,898 test encounters (+45,942)
7,472 deaths among cases (+17)
7,800 deaths due to COVID-19 (+32)
6,087 outbreaks (+13)
The latest hospital data showed 971 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, 3 fewer than Thursday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.15%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,754,296 people had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 3,439,349 people have been fully vaccinated.
10:05 a.m. | Pfizer booster shot approved by the CDC for at-risk groups, essential groups
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Friday endorsed COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for those at-risk for severe infection, clearing the way for millions to get a third dose of Pfizer's vaccine, and went further with her recommendation, adding that essential workers could also seek out a booster shot.
"As CDC Director, it is my job to recognize where our actions can have the greatest impact," Walensky said in a statement. "At CDC, we are tasked with analyzing complex, often imperfect data to make concrete recommendations that optimize health. In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good."
Officially, the new CDC guidance released Friday says that people aged 65 and older and those who live in long-term care facilities, as well as people aged 50 to 64 with an underlying medical condition "should" seek out a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine six months after their final shot. In addition, people aged 18-49 who have underlying medical conditions and anyone who is at an increased risk for COVID-19 because of their jobs "may" seek a booster six months after their second shot.
Walensky's guidance came less than a day after the advisory panel recommended boosters to people aged 64 and older, those in long-term care facilities and those with underlying health conditions. The panel did not offer any guidance for essential workers.
However, Walensky's guidance is consistent with the Food and Drug Administration, which updated its guidance on Wednesday to say that those at increased risk for COVID-19 infection should be eligible for a booster.
“This booster dose authorization is an important step in ensuring Coloradans most at-risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes have the greatest protection possible,” said Scott Bookman, Colorado's COVID-19 Incident Commander. “We have the capacity across the state to administer these doses while continuing to offer first doses to the unvaccinated and and second doses to those who have received only one dose.”
State officials said Colorado has enough vaccine supply for providers to keep up with any increased demand related to today’s announcement and to provide eligible Coloradans with a booster dose immediately.
Colorado’s four large community vaccination sites in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Commerce City, and Littleton can accommodate up to 1,000 doses per day each and can provide first, second, and booster doses. Each site is open until September 30. This is in addition to Colorado’s more than 1,670 vaccine providers across the state. Coloradans can find more information or a location near them at covid19.colorado.gov/vaccinefinder.
Thursday, September 23
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here is Thursday's COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
658,905 cases (+2,055)
37,960 hospitalized (+51)
64 counties (+0)
3,659,766 people tested (+8,352)
10,911,956 test encounters (+36,022)
7,455 deaths among cases (+14)
7,768 deaths due to COVID-19 (+14)
6,074 outbreaks (+13)
The latest hospital data showed 974 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, 22 more than Wednesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.39%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,749,771 people had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 3,434,303 people have been fully vaccinated.
1:02 p.m. | Loveland clinic owner to pay $40k for violating order to stop marketing ivermectin as COVID-19 cure
A Loveland family nurse practitioner will have to pay $40,000 to the state for illegally marketing ivermectin as a COVID-19 cure, according to Colorado’s attorney general.
The ruling from Attorney General Phil Weiser orders Siegfried Emme, owner of Loveland Medical Clinic, to pay the sum after failing to comply with a cease-and-desist order from the Colorado Department of Law, which instructed him to stop marketing and overstating the effectiveness of “alleged cures for COVID-19, including the anti-parasite drug Ivermectin.”
Emme reportedly advertised IV therapies as a treatment for the novel coronavirus in March 2020 and later advertised other treatments – such as the use of ivermectin – on his social media platforms and blog that he claimed were cures while overstating their effectiveness in fighting COVID-19, according to a news release from Weiser’s office.
Ivermectin is an FDA-approved antiparasitic drug that is used to treat several parasitic worm infections, and it is also being evaluated for its potential to reduce the rate of malaria transmission in mosquitoes, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The drug is not currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of any viral infection, including COVID-19.
While ivermectin has been shown to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures, the NIH states, “studies suggest that achieving the plasma concentrations necessary for the antiviral efficacy detected in vitro would require administration of doses up to 100-fold higher than those approved for use in humans.”
The NIH goes on to say that while several randomized trials and studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals since the last revision of their guidelines on the use of ivermectin – with some studies showing no benefits or worsening disease after ivermectin use, while others showed a faster improvement from symptoms attributed to COVID-19 – the data “had incomplete information and significant methodological limitations, which make it difficult to exclude common causes of bias.”
In its recommendation, the NIH states that there is still insufficient evidence for the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel to “recommend either for or against the use of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19,” stating that more results from “adequately powered, well-designed, and well-conducted clinical trials” are needed to provide better guidance on the role of ivermectin to treat the disease.
In addition to paying the above sum, the release states Emme agreed to make any false or misleading statement in connection with the sale of health or medical services in Colorado; not make false, misleading, or unsubstantiated representations about the effectiveness of his therapies as treatments or preventative measures for COVID-19; and to clearly disclose if treatments are approved by the FDA, if they are recommended by the NIH, if there are associated warnings or advisories by any federal or state government agency relating to the treatment or preventative measure, and if the treatment is experimental.
11:10 a.m. | CDPHE: Cases highest among children 6-11 years old, rates of infection highest among children where schools don't have mask mandates
Cases of the novel coronavirus are now highest in school-aged children, particularly among kids 6-11 years old, state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said during a Thursday news conference where state health officials provided the latest update of the COVID-19 in the state.
The second highest rates of the new virus were among children aged 12-17, followed by adults. The lowest rates of COVID-19 were among children aged 0-5, Herlihy said.
Data from the state shows the 7-day average that case rates among school-aged children are also highest in counties where vaccination rates are lowest, with places like Weld, Pueblo and El Paso counties - where vaccination rates hover between 62-68% - reporting higher case rates among children, compared to places like Denver, Boulder or Arapahoe - where between 76-83% of the population is vaccinated - reporting lower case rates among children.
Rates of infection across 48 Colorado school districts also show that rates of infection are lowest among districts which have implemented mask mandates, compared to districts which have not.
Hospitalizations across the state continue to be high, according to state incident commander Scott Bookman, with 877 people currently hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Out of those, 175 are vaccinated.
Watch the full news conference below:
Wednesday, September 22
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here is Wednesday's COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
656,850 cases (+1,606)
37,909 hospitalized (+163)
64 counties (+0)
3,651,414 people tested (+5,754)
10,875,934 test encounters (+24,865)
7,441 deaths among cases (+13)
7,754 deaths due to COVID-19 (+18)
6,061 outbreaks (+24)
The latest hospital data showed 952 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, 21 fewer than Tuesday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.20%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,746,220 people had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 3,430,389 people have been fully vaccinated.
Tuesday, September 21
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here is Tuesday's COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
655,244 cases (+1,779)
37,746 hospitalized (+127)
64 counties (+0)
3,645,660 people tested (+8,208)
10,851,069 test encounters (+31,877)
7,428 deaths among cases (+23)
7,736 deaths due to COVID-19 (+21)
6,037 outbreaks (+25)
The latest hospital data showed 973 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, 7 fewer than Monday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.29%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,741,570 people had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 3,425,279 people have been fully vaccinated.
3:32 p.m. | Eagle County adding two more COVID-19 testing sites
Eagle County says it has added two testing sites:
Eagle, 6th Street at the Town Park
Days: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday
Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Edwards, Colorado Mountain College, 150 Miller Ranch Road
Days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
3:29 p.m. | COVID-19 hospitalizations across Colorado are plateauing, but concerns loom as winter approaches
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said Tuesday they are cautiously optimistic that the state is heading in the right direction as data continues to show COVID-19 hospitalization rates plateau. But concerns remain as winter approaches.
There are currently around 900 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Colorado and that number has been trending slightly lower over the last several weeks, according to State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy. But, she said, cooler weather marks a transitional period, when the numbers could go either way.
“What make me nervous about this time of year, is that fall is a transition time,” Dr. Herlihy explained. “We move indoors, the weather gets cooler. So, there is that possibility that we could be looking at a potential increase in cases once again.”
Herlihy said mask wearing, social distancing, and most importantly, getting the vaccine, continues to be important as we move indoors, where the virus has more potential to spread.
Of those hospitalized in the state, the vast majority are unvaccinated.
Polis announced during Tuesday’s press conference that the state has successfully acquired more than 2 million at-home test kits and they are relaunching the Rapid At-Home testing program.
The free COVID-19 test kits will be sent directly to people’s homes. The program uses Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests that show results within 15 minutes. You can enroll in the program here.
Monday, September 20
4:44 p.m. | Colorado has administered 80,703 third doses
The state of Colorado has administered 80,703 third doses so far, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The CDPHE said that number does not include invalidated doses, such as those caused by temperature excursions, or personal record doses, which are manually entered into CIIS based on a patient’s attestation and "may not be as reliable as data entered by providers at the time of administration," according to the agency.
The count of people with a third dose increases to 84,907 with personal record doses and invalidated doses included, CDPHE said.
4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 data
Here is Monday's COVID-19 data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. A reminder that today's state data is an aggregate from the weekend as well as Monday's.
653,465 cases (+4,832)
37,619 hospitalized (+146)
64 counties (+0)
3,637,452 people tested (+21,133)
10,819,192 test encounters (+89,657)
7,405 deaths among cases (+31)
7,715 deaths due to COVID-19 (+19)
6,012 outbreaks (+13)
The latest hospital data showed 980 beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, 45 more than Sunday. Colorado's seven-day average positivity rate was 6.37%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
As of Monday, 3,737,523 people had received at least one dose of the vaccine and 3,420,472 people have been fully vaccinated.
12:10 p.m. | Children's Hospital Colorado suspending certain services due to rise in hospitalizations as respiratory illnesses - including COVID-19 - increase among
A Children's Colorado official says they're temporarily "consolidating" resources to respond to an early start of respiratory season among children, the pediatric mental health crisis, the transmissibility of the delta variant, and the "heightened demands placed on the healthcare workforce as more people choose to leave the industry than ever before."
Effective this Thursday, Sept. 23, Children's Colorado will:
- Temporarily suspend After-Hours/Virtual Urgent Care services
- The temporary closure of the Urgent Care services at Children’s Colorado’s Wheatridge and Uptown locations will be extended
- Children’s Colorado’s services at Parker Adventist Hospital willl be temporarily suspended, resulting in a temporary closure at this location. The Parker Adventist emergency department remains open 24/7.
11:45 a.m. | Gov. Polis urges FDA to approve COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5-11
Governor Jared Polis urged the FDA to "cancel their weekend plans and postpone other agenda items" to review the data on the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11 in order to move forward "right away with approval."
"We want to end the pandemic now and there is not time to waste," he said in his statement.
Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday that late-stage trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in children show that the shots were safe and effective in kids aged between 5 and 11. Read more on that here.
Click here for the COVID-19 live blog for Sept. 13-19, 2021.
